Tea is one of my favorite drinks: a remarkable variety of flavors, caffeinated but cheaper than coffee and healthier than soda, easily prepared, socially acceptable, with a long & rich history intertwined with geopolitics. I particularly favor greens, oolongs, & ku-ki chas; blacks tend to be too bitter and unpleasant for me, pu-erh tastes both strange and bitter, while whites strike me as subtle to the point of tastelessness. I sometimes enjoy herbal-teas/tisanes but they are not a focus.

I order mostly1 from the Massachusetts mail-order loose-leaf Upton Tea Imports because they specialize in loose tea (while not all loose leaf teas are good, almost all good teas are sold loose-leaf), I’m a sucker for browsing their catalogue & reading excerpts from books about the history of tea like the Ancient Tea Horse Road, their prices seem pretty reasonable, their selection is broad (they boast of having something like 400 kinds of tea at any time, which I can believe), and they offer small samples of almost all their teas (which is a fantastic way to taste scores of teas without having to buy $20 of each tea which one may not like). In contrast I haven’t been terribly happy with other retailers like the selection of loose teas on Amazon (surprisingly sparse) or Teavana (physically convenient to buy from but quite limited selection & overpriced).

Upton allows reviews if you’ve bought at least a certain quantity, but otherwise your notes are private. This strikes me as a little unfair (a sampler of 10g is more than enough to judge a tea!) and my reviews are a valuable guide to me in ordering, so I keep local copies of my reviews & notes. (Note that Upton’s recycles some listings so a hyperlink may not point where it should.)

I drink primarily using a Colonial Williamsburg Beware The Fox stoneware mug (3-inch diameter), putting the tea in to steep using a Finum medium brewing basket and using ~1.5g of tea for two steeps if possible. (My Finum lasted around 5 years before the mesh starts getting clogged enough that it takes an unreasonable time to drain into the cup, especially with the finer green teas; cleaning helps but doesn’t fully restore circulation.)

Tea

Oolong

When I was young, I was a great fan of hot chocolate, but hot chocolate is troublesome to make if you are making real hot chocolate (with milk & everything). I tried coffee once or twice, but it was even more disgusting than beer. Herbal teas were drinkable, though, and I slowly graduated to green tea. Then one day a my mother bought a Bigelow box set of teas which happened to include an oolong tea.

I instantly fell in love with oolong - not quite as raw and grassy as green tea but not so bitter & disgusting as black tea. (Not that green tea is bad; I still liked it, and all my favorite oolongs tend towards the green side of the oolong spectrum. I just prefer oolongs.)

A very nice tieguanyin (which is one of my favorite kinds of oolong). The flavor is straight oolong: in between green and black, with a tiny bit of sweetness. One of the best I’ve had. Handles re-steeping well. (It is largely the same as the second-grade, but the second had a sort of woody taste to it that the first doesn’t.)

On the strength of this tasting from 2009, I ordered 400g of it in 2012 to be my standard tea when I ran out of samplers; to my great disappointment, it does not taste as good as I remember it. I don’t know whether my palate has become more demanding or whether the quality has fallen. An online acquaintance happened to order some at the same time, and was very satisfied with it, suggesting the former.

The finest Jade Oolong that we have ever sampled. Those who are looking for the best of what Taiwan can produce will want to try at least the sample size (12 grams).

The first time I ordered a sample, I thought the Imperial was extremely good - one of the, if not the best, oolongs I’ve ever had. But also expensive, so I did not order it again for several years. Again I was struck by the wonderful complex fragrance one inhales as one opens the bag. I wasn’t quite so impressed the second time, having had many more oolongs since then; it is indeed excellent, but I have to stand by my original appraisal that it is too expensive.

It’s a solid oolong, but the floral taste (I don’t know how to describe the osmanthus flavor) really makes this for me. I like to mix a little of it into some of my other oolongs, though it’s not the best re-steeper I’ve ever had.

This was my default oolong for a long time because 500g was just $18. One of the downsides of buying in such bulk is that the osmanthus fragments exhibited a Brazil nut effect and the last hundred cups were more osmanthus than tea.

The description promises a strong flavor, but perhaps I prepared it poorly because the flavor struck me as weak, nor did I particularly notice any peach. I was disappointed; I’d’ve been better off buying some more of the Osmanthus or 1st-grade Imperial.

I bought this and the roasted barley tea (see later) from the Rainbow Grocery Cooperative when I was visiting my sister in San Francisco. Benshan is a fairly green oolong and right up my alley, although it struck me as lacking the slight sweetness and floral overtones I expect from the best oolongs. But regardless, it was pretty tasty, and adding a little bit of the barley made the benshan oolong even better.

I didn’t expect much of a Thai tea, since I’ve never heard of oolongs from Thailand before. To a little surprise, I found it to be a completely normal oolong. Nothing floral to the taste, just a plain ordinary oolong. I would not have suspected you of lying if you had told me it was a Formosan oolong.

Loosely rolled long leaves; weak flavor with nothing of interest about it. (I’ll agree with the Upton’s description that it’s not bitter, but calling it sweet or having a raisin-like flavor is just hyperbole.) Disappointing.

Tea at the Empress (★★☆☆☆); I picked up this dark blue cylindrical tin of teabags somewhere or other. It doesn’t even specify what kind of tea it is, but apparently it has something to do with a hotel, and claims to be from The Fairmont Store (although no item is listed similar to the tin).

It’s not very good oolong. It starts off fairly bitter and doesn’t improve, but at least it doesn’t get too horrible as it resteeps. Regardless, I don’t know where I would get more and I would not get more if I knew.

At 5 minutes of steeping, a pretty ordinary oolong; by 10 minutes, a strong floral taste had developed. Continued steeping made the flavor weaker and bitterer (as one would expect), but no other changes. It reminded me of the osmanthus oolong. During the second tasting, the floral flavor was not as overpowering; I was careful to use the same tsp amount of tea for each of the 9 teas, which suggests that perhaps last time I used too much of the Empress. Not bad at all, I may order it again.

At 5 minutes, another ordinary oolong, but by 10 minutes, the flavor has not become bitter but rather continued to develop into a very oolong flavor. Little change with re-steepings. In the second tasting, I noted that it was a sharper blacker flavor than Anxi and Empress. A good oolong, might be a candidate for my standard tea (but would need to check prices of the others).

The 5 minute steeping tasted both woody and floral, an odd combination which bothered me (I had expected more - it cost twice what the Oolong Choice Grade did). The 10 minute steeping wasn’t much better: it was sweeter tasting, but the stem/wood flavor was even stronger, and it didn’t improve or change very much at any subsequent steeping. It’s possible I prepared it wrong or picked a pinch of stems, but it seems unlikely I will pay the premium for this tea when I am not sure I can even describe it as good. (In the second tasting, I noted only that it was slightly sour.)

Anxi tikwanyin (★★★☆☆)

Another gift from my sister. This is a mild medium oolong with relatively little floral taste compared to everything else I’ve been testing. As expected from the Anxi county tea region, their Tie-Guan-Yin is perfectly acceptable.

As the name indicates, this is a peach-flavored oolong. I bought a bag of 10 teabags during Sakura Matsuri 2012. I wondered if $12 was too much to pay, but the bag seemed oddly heavy and the back said each bag had 2g of tea in them! 2 grams is a lot, and 20g is more reasonable for $12 - similar to Upton’s samples when S&H is included. (When I checked online, I saw the loose tea was $13 for 50g. Oh well.)

The bags were the first I’ve seen made with a plastic mesh, and when I brewed the first one, the taste was far too strong. It was without doubt peach-flavored. For the next batches, I cut open the bag and used a fourth of the contents. This made a much more reasonable flavor, which holds up well under resteeping, and the peach-flavor is not as artificial-tasting as the other peach tea I have now. One thing I’ve learned after drinking many mugs is that this tea quickly becomes flavorless - it doesn’t hold up under resteeping; this may be because it was designed for quick release as tea bags - but hopefully the loose tea is unshredded leaves and this would be less of a problem. When I run out of tea, I may order a batch of Lupicia since besides the Momo Oolong, they have some oolongs I haven’t tried before.

Floral, but oddly it also tasted sour. Not recommended, to say the least, but perhaps the first tasting was simply an aberrant cup. On later tastings, I didn’t notice further sourness, and it seemed more acceptable. Dosing is difficult because the large whole leaves are very tightly wrapped but sometimes are just stems, so it is easy to add too few or too many.

Neither left a strong enough impression to review although the Floral Superior lived up to at least the first part of the name; they were both similar to the Special Grade. At times during this tasting, I wondered if Upton had screwed up & they were the same teas (but they couldn’t’ve been because the tea leaves were visibly different). The Floral Superior does not handle resteeping well, quickly losing flavor.

Pretty much as expected: a standard oolong taste with a smoky aftertaste. Smoky oolongs are not my cup of tea, but I had to try. The upside is that it turns out to resteep very well, and the smoky aftertaste slowly changes to a sweeter honey-like aftertaste.

The magnolia flavor is strong with this one. I was surprised to instantly recognize the flavor, because as far as I knew I had never had anything magnolia-flavored before. The flavor itself leaves me mixed - I sort of like but also sort of don’t. This may be one of the teas best consumed only at intervals or mixed in with another. It doesn’t resteep well, almost immediately losing any flavor.

A stronger Pre-Chingming Da Hong Pao, which then undercuts the improvement by tacking on an aftertaste which is not smoky but burnt. In general, this batch of oolongs was a disappointment: either boring or bad. I may finally have exhausted Upton’s oolong catalog.

A Christmas gift, this flavored oolong comes in the nice little plastic mesh bags that non-loose-tea products seem to be moving towards these days. The Se Chung and Shui Xian blend is heavily flavored with safflower, peach, and apricot for a somewhat overwhelmingly floral taste which makes it hard to judge the underlying oolong (it seems OK, but not great). Seems to handle a few resteeps well.

A perfectly ordinary and satisfactory oolong; it handles steeping well and delivers a cup medium between green and black. While I was at their Williamsburg shop, I had a cup of their Glenburn Moonshine Oolong; it’s hard to judge from one cup you didn’t make, but while the leaves have a lovely silver fuzz and the brew was pretty good, I didn’t like it sufficiently to justify the 2-3x premium over the tie kuan yin.

Bao Zhong oolong with coconut extract. I am not a fan of coconut flavor and bought it out of curiosity when I wandered into their Williamsburg shop before Christmas 2013 (I also bought an ounce of their genmai-cha). It was better than I expected: the coconut is a light overlay and not overpowering, and the base Bao Zhong seems to be fine.

I hadn’t tried a ginseng tea before, and when this one popped up on Amazon, I thought I’d give it a try. While I strongly suspect the health benefits of ginseng have been overblown2, the flavor might still be nice. The tea comes in coated pellets, with some wisps of straw-colored plant matter which I assume are ginseng itself. The ginseng flavor is sweet, mild, fruity & difficult for me to compare to anything (I guess I should just describe it as ginseng-like!). I think I like it, although like the coconut oolong I wouldn’t want to drink too many cups in a row of it.

Daniel Clough, Golden Lily Wulong (★★★☆☆)

1 of 4 oolongs gifted me by Clough after his travels in China. Interesting and not what I expected, since the tea looked more like a tieguanyin. The Golden Lily almost doesn’t taste like an oolong at all: it tastes sweet, perhaps like honey?, and something harder to describe - googling, it seems the usual description is milky, which on further reflection seems like it’s a good analogy.

Clough, Lan Gui Ren ginseng (★★☆☆☆)

A ginseng oolong like the previous Tea’s Etc; there’s no straw in it, and the coated pellets are much smaller, although unlike the other, the pellets do open up into tea leaves. Weakly ginseng, sweeter, and almost completely tasteless after the first steep. This one was a disappointment; I hope the other ginseng turns out to be better.

Clough, unknown ginseng (★★★☆☆)

A normal foil baggy of little ginseng pellets; no straw, small more irregular pellets, green color. Similar the Tea’s Etc one.

Clough, unknown oolong (★★★☆☆/★★★★☆)

A vacuum-sealed small sample (10g?) of Chinese tea; I didn’t recognize any of the names or characters on it (I took a photo just in case it turned out to matter). The first steep is a fairly tasty quasi-tieguanyin, but subsequent steeps are absolutely tasteless, which meant I used it up quickly.

Reasonable Tie Guan Yin, very green, nice floral aftertaste; sensitive to temperature, though, and easily prepared too hot. Probably can do better quality vs price-wise. Container is a bit flimsy and if it falls to the ground, will spill contents all over (as I found out the hard way).

No reviews, but I thought the description sounded promising and Tao of Tea has earned a little bit of trust, so I took a gamble with it. The leaves are long stringy black leaves. It resteeps well. My initial impression was that the flavor is indeed somewhat sweet and, grandiose name notwithstanding, it tastes like a middle of the road oolong with no particular additional flavors or aftertaste - just sort of oolong-y. I was disappointed: OK, not good I think I must have prepared it badly the first few times (perhaps too hot or steeped too long) because as I drink the rest of it, I’m enjoying it more and the flavor seems closer to the floral sort of Tie Guan Yin flavor I like most.

This premium Oolong is produced in Anxi county of Fujian province, with a light oxidation level of less than 20%. The name Huang Jin Gui translates to golden osmanthus, referring to the cup’s light gold hue and the osmanthus-like aroma and flavor.

(This and the next 3 are all Chinese teas.) Description is entirely accurate for once. I liked it.

This organic selection has a sweet aroma with hints of tropical flowers and a suggestion of toasted coconut. The cup has interesting notes of stone fruit, golden raisins, and walnuts. The finish has a fruity/floral quality, which is balanced by a light mineral note.

Regular TGY. I don’t find the complexities that Upton’s described, but it’s fine.

While not a true Wu Yi Mountain tea, this Fujian province Oolong is a flavorful and affordable alternative. The dark, chocolate-brown leaves produce a dusky ecru liquor with a harmonious flavor profile, accented with a sweet, lingering finish. Some who have enjoyed this selection have commented about nuances of honeysuckle, citrus and peach.

On the black end of the spectrum; it’s not as bitter as the previous Wu Yi I tried, which I am grateful for and makes it reasonably drinkable, but this one settles it: Wu Yis just aren’t for me. Time to give up on them, and probably time to start avoiding any oolong which is sufficiently oxidized to be described as black or chocolate-colored.

This loosely-rolled Fujian province tea is tightly packed into paper-wrapped bricks. Infusing reveals bold, skillfully crafted leaves with a fresh aroma and a hearty cup with a lilac/hyacinth fragrance. The sweet finish has a delicate suggestion of cardamom.

I thought this sounded cute - paper-wrapped bricks of tea, a throwback to the traditional methods of packaging and storing tea in China. And it sounded quite good too, a greener oolong right up my alley. But this one was a serious disappointment! The bricks turn out to be a lot of small bricks, and they are a pain to work with; you cannot simply reach in and get some tea, you have to break off compacted chunks of tea, which are hard to measure right and scatter debris (if you do it outside the bag, it’s a mess to clean up, and if you do it inside, the dust will fall to the bottom). I could put up with this format except to my perplexity, the tea seems almost tasteless, not hearty; I tried steeping at a variety of water temperatures (though Upton’s calls for 190 degrees, which is not exotic or unusual), convinced I was simply preparing it wrong, but none of them did the trick. (To avoid death by a thousand cleanups, I wound up crushing all the bricks by hand in a big bowl and then pouring them back in.) Expensive, messy, and tasteless.

Tasteless in much the same way as the Zhang Ping Shui Hsian Oolong was - not a bad taste, but hardly there. Last perhaps one steep and then even the weak flavor is gone. Mine came in a mostly-unlabeled foil bag (so I have no idea where it’s really from), and the reviews for the tins are more positive, suggesting I was sent a lower-quality alternate tea.

From Hunan province, this 2015 special production Pre-Chingming Oolong is notable for its outstanding aroma and cup. The flavor notes are intense, with a pronounced orchid/lilac quality as well as a light mineral hint. The finish lingers pleasantly and sweetly.

A strong aroma whose floral qualities reminds me of the even more intense scent of the Jade Imperial; I find the flavor more akin to jasmine than orchid. Beyond that, the flavor is mild and meek, and green. Overall, I don’t think the floral aroma makes up for the lack of other distinction in its flavor.

From Guangdong province, this venerable-style Oolong tea is made from ancient single trunk Camellia sinensis trees. Notable for its peach-like flavor and a pronounced sweet character, this 2015 harvest is suitable for multiple steepings, as with the Gong-fu method.

Remarkably sweet, this takes oolongs to a place I did not expect them to go. It is even milder than the New Style and there is a definite fruity flavor to it which I can’t pin down beyond citrus-y, although I don’t think peach-like captures it. Here too, while distinct, the flavor does not capture my heart.

The leaves of this selection display a range of color, with tans, dark olive greens and browns. Rolled in a semi-loose fashion, this tea is processed in the Muzha style (i.e., with a finishing light roast). The smooth liquor is sweet, with both fruity and flowery notes. The finish is clean and lightly sweet. Produced in Anxi, Fujian province.

A solid, standard TGY: dark green liquor, resteeps well, and has the virtue of a good TGY in combining the characteristic floral overtones with a robuster main flavor. There are better oolongs but not terribly many.

The base tea of this offering is a quality Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong with light oxidation, expertly scented with jasmine blossoms. Most of the blossoms are removed after scenting, which results in a smoother cup. The liquor is a fine marriage of orchid, jasmine, and other floral notes.

A strong jasmine you smell as soon as you open the package, which overwhelms the oolong without being bitter or grassy. I’m developing a fondness for jasmine, and this hits the spot.

This Oolong tea has a neat appearance, with evenly rolled leaves ranging in color from dark olive green to a lighter lime green. The clear infusion is light, with a green-yellow hue. The pleasant flavor has notes of almond milk and light floral/citrus hints. Produced in the Fujian province of China.

Thoroughly mediocre. It’s not cheap enough to offset how it’s not much of a TGY and doesn’t resteep. It makes a good TGY cup if you use twice as much as usual but that further destroys the cost advantage.

Japanese researchers created GABA tea serendipitously in the 1980’s. Wanting effective methods to preserve tea, not fully fermented leaf was exposed to nitrogen. The glutamic acid inherent in tea was transformed to Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, or GABA for short. This selection is notable for its broad and interesting flavor profile, with notes of mango, peach and guava. The cup has a creamy body with a pronounced, lingering sweetness.

It’s unusual to see a tea with an origin story fit to rival a superhero’s, and GABA itself is an interesting chemical with the potential to augment tea’s theanine as an anxiolytic (although the much greater efficacy of phenibut suggests GABA on its own may be impotent); as soon as I read the description, I knew I had to try it. This one of the two GABA teas Upton’s carries (the other is Japanese Green GABA (Gabaron)); I regret not ordering a sample of the other as well, so I could compare them to each other and to other green/oolongs and get an idea of what part of the taste or effect may be attributable to the nitrogen/GABA process and what is part of the underlying tea which happened to get processed that way. (I have noticed that when it comes to additives or different processes like genmai-cha, the base tea determines how much I like it as much as the additives and that they often are of lower quality; so when I dislike something, it may be the additive, or it may be the base tea. So I need to try at least two, or dislike intensely what is clearly the additive, before I can be reasonably certain and ignore that category henceforth.) The flavor itself is as described, with a fruity rather than floral overtone.

Eventually I ordered the Gabaron to compare side by side. The Gabaron tasted like a normal enough green tea, and I couldn’t detect any similarities.

This is a great everyday Oolong at an attractive price. The neatly rolled leaves yield a golden-yellow liquor with a light floral aroma. The medium-bodied cup has a sweet vegetal quality with woody hints and fruity undertones. A pleasant astringency lingers in the finish.

Reminiscent of a roasted Tie-Guan-Yin, this fannings grade Oolong infuses in one to two minutes. The smooth cup has an earthy molasses character and a light red apple note, with hints of honey and pecans. The lingering finish has a slight minty note.

(Fannings are very fine, almost dust-like tea.) Steeps almost instantly, dark brown liquor. Bitter with a coffee-like aroma, it tastes exactly like black tea and not at all like an oolong, even one of the darker and smokier ones.

This tea is an attractive mix of well-twisted, wiry leaves, decorated with downy silver buds. The light amber cup has a pronounced sweet aroma with light fruity notes. A smooth, creamy mouth feel introduces flavor notes of stone fruit and nuts, which some have likened to pecan.

A highly unusual Indian oolong. Medium brown liquor, not particularly black-tasting. Some unidentifiable funky overtone for me that triggers association with mold and wet dogs and puts me off despite the admittedly nice white-tea-esque visual appearance of the leaves.

This is a rare production of Oolong style tea from Assam. The leaves are beautifully made, with a color range of multi-hued browns and some silver and gold tips. The liquor has a light sweet note, which deepens into a complex flavor profile with caramel hints. This tea is produced by hand using old-time methods, including drying over a charcoal fire.

Similar to the Darjeeling in unusual origin, appearance, and liquor color. It lacks the offputting overtone and has a sweeter and pleasant taste.

Produced from a cultivar used for Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong, this black tea selection has an interesting, complex aroma and flavor. The large, midnight brown leaves yield an amber cup with an aroma of chestnuts and wood. A refreshing minty suggestion complements the nutty/woody flavor notes. Oolong lovers will delight in this unique offering.

Black leaves yielding a standard bitter and unpleasant black tea, with no discernible connections to normal TGY oolongs, really emphasizing the difference that the processing makes between green/oolong/black.

This offering is a 2016 special production Pre-Chingming Oolong from Hunan province. The striking, dark-olive leaf is quite bold and fully intact. Intense orchid/lilac notes are pronounced in both the aroma and the smooth, buttery flavor. Subtle nuances of stone fruit and vegetal hints round out the flavor.

This unusual tea has dry leaves of differing shapes and colors. The end result is an outstanding cup with a complex flavor profile that is unmistakably Oolong in character, with woody hints, delicate floral notes, and a sweet lingering finish.

Like the Standard Grade Formosa Oolong, this is a basic oolong heavy on the woody flavor and somewhat stem-y. A decent cheap accompaniment to a meal but not a great oolong.

The bold leaves of this limited production Eastern Beauty Oolong yield an amber-gold cup with a sweet, rich character. Heady notes of ripe fruit and honey are present in both the aroma and the complex flavor, which finishes with a light suggestion of spice.

When we added ginger to our peachy and delicious Formosa Oolong, we created Ginger’s Oolong, a fun and flavorful spin on our popular Peaches & Ginger tea. Kosher. Details: This is an old blend done over ten years ago. Our Peaches & Ginger is a popular black tea blend. So we thought, Formosa Oolong has peach notes, lets add some ginger root. Thus Ginger’s oolong was born. Dry Leaves: Dark brown leaves. Liquor: The ginger in this tea makes the liquor slightly darker, a medium brown. Aroma: The oolong provides the dark peach notes and the ginger gives spicy aromas. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated Body: The oolong is medium bodied. Flavors: The subtle flavors of peaches and toasted nuts are nicely contrasted by the ginger.

Harney & Sons is an American tea retailer much like Upton’s in being primarily mail-order based in the Northeast founded around the same time, carrying specialty teas, and offering samples for most of their items; it tends to specialize more in offering blended/scented teas and black teas in a British style than Upton’s extreme variety (eg relatively limited species count in tisanes, and not many whites or pu’erhs or odder teas). I took advantage of a Christmas sale to buy samples of most of their green & oolong teas, and some of the herbals I hadn’t tried like bamboo and chrysanthemum. The samples don’t come with listed amounts, but weighing a few, they mostly come in at 5-7g.

It is a pleasure to offer again Rou Gui Oolong. We love its roasted fruit flavors. It is made in the same area as Da Hong Pao: the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian in China. Dry Leaves: Twisted, dark brown leaves. Liquor: Amber. Aroma: Roasted apricots. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium. Flavors: Apricots & Peaches.

We infuse full leaves of premium Ti Quan Yin Oolong with tangy pomegranate to create this complex full-bodied blend that brews into a sweetly fragrant and silky textured cup of tea. The Ti Quan Yin Oolong we use is named after the Chinese Goddess of Mercy. Please note: Pomegranate Oolong in our box of 50 tea bags and our Historic Royal Palaces tin have been discontinued. Please continue to enjoy this tea in our other tea sachet collections, loose tea, or Fresh Brew Iced Tea pouches. Details: We wanted to offer a flavored oolong blend. This would make oolongs more approachable to some tea lovers. So we chose a good oolong and added the pomegranate. Dry Leaves: Rolled green leaves. Liquor: A very light clear green-yellow. Aroma: On top of the floral and citrus flavors of the tea lies the sweet citrus aromas of pomegranates. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium body. Flavors: A lovely tasting oolong that is light and refreshing with strong flavors of pomegranate.

Fenghuang Shuixian, a delicious and rare oolong tea, is widely regarded for its intense peach and spice flavor. A high point of Mike’s trips to China is visiting the artisans high above the city of Fenghuang. He enjoys seeing how they transform the big leaves into twists of brown oolong, with hints of russet. Even more, he loves drinking it! Details: This is made in one of the most southern tea regions in China. It is the pride of Guangdong Province. Made high in the Fenghuang Mountains above the ancient temple city of Chaozhou, it is this tea that the tiny clay tea pots are used with in the Chaozhou tea brewing style. Dry Leaves: These leaves are dark brown and twisted into long thin pieces. Liquor: Pale orange. Aroma: The stone fruit aroma is of fresh peach nectar. Caffeine level: Caffeinated. Body: This a medium bodied oolong. Flavors: The flavors of the Milan variety of this tea are of fresh peach nectar and it almost fizzes like a Bellini.

Top Ti Quan Yin is the best tea out of northern Fujian Province. The finest aroma and body is what we aim for, and this year’s version has it. It is an intense mixture of butter and honey, even honeysuckle flowers, reminiscent of great Burgundy white wine. Details: One of the best jobs of the year is to decide upon this tea. Each sample is great, so it is a joy to drink. However which is the best of the best? Dry Leaves: Dark green rolled leaves with bright green flecks. Liquor: This tea brews very light, a green-yellow color that is very clear. Aroma: An intense and complex aroma of toast, almonds, honey and light citrus notes. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This Ti Quan Yin has good body that is sustained through several brewings. Flavors: A joy to drink, it is reminiscent of great Mersault wines. The aroma continues with some floral notes, and the finish never ends.

Ti Quan Yin Spring Floral is delicious - and a great value. We searched through all of Anxi to find a Chinese oolong tea that captures the high floral notes and has nice body, yet isn’t too expensive. Its tiny greenish balls can be re-brewed several times. Details: Ti Quan Yins are some of China’s most famous teas. They are from Southern Fujian Province, and it was in these hills that teas were first rolled into small balls. That allowed the teas to slowly oxidize and slowly develop these great flavors. Each tea leaf goes through complex changes as it gradually dies. Dry Leaves: Light and dark green rolled leaves. Liquor: This tea brews very light, a green-yellow color that is very clear. Aroma: The scent of this tea is of lightly toasted almonds, honey, and butter combined. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Ti Quan Yin is medium bodied and may be brewed a few times. Flavors: A lovely oolong with enduring flavors of honey, butter, and almonds.

Sold only in irritatingly large double packs of 114g, I put off trying these two ToT oolongs until running out of other ToTs to sample. While initially favorably impressed, they struck me as blander as time went on and a little bit sour. The Baozhong has a high stem content, and neither Baozhong nor Bamboo Mountain resteeps well. The Green Dragon is better.

Well balanced infusion of crisp orchid and sweet jasmine with a clean finish This most precious of green oolong teas is made more delicate with the gentle scenting of fragrantly sweet jasmine. Creating a hint of perfumed wonder, this sublime and aromatic hand-rolled tea is nothing less than a cup of transcendental bliss.

This exquisitely crafted Formosa Oolong is very fragrant, with pronounced peach notes in both the aroma and the tawny-gold cup. An abundance of downy, silver tips adorns the large beautiful leaves, yielding a liquor bursting with flavor and a smooth, creamy mouth feel. Notes of dried fruit as well as hints of warm spice and honey lead to a clean finish with a lingering sweetness.

Aromatic and delicious, a fine Formosa oolong which resteeps well. But the price is extravagant at a dollar a gram!

Touch Organic Oolong tea (40 bags, 80g, $3) (★★☆☆☆/★★★☆☆)

Restaurant-grade oolong; not smoky so much as kuki-cha-like. Somewhat better than expected if I use 2 or 3 bags.

Green

Pinhead Gunpowder is a green Chinese tea. Pale straw colored, the brew is light and refreshing in flavor. Each leaf is hand-rolled into a pellet-shaped ball. Because the tightly rolled shape helps the tea retain its freshness, it was one of the first teas to be exported from China. 1/4 lb. Loose Tea, No.42316

I originally bought a packet on a trip to Colonial Williamsburg around 2005 or so. It struck me as rather grassy and the tightly-rolled leaves seemed to easily oversteep and become bitter. Having received another batch in Christmas 2013 and preparing it with more respect for being a green tea (sub-boiling water, much shorter steep time), I find it more palatable and so I think my early impressions may have been more my fault than the tea’s fault.

Gift from sister; a tin of variegated green (long thin leaves, stems, broken leaves) mixed with flakes of thin orange peel or skin. As the name indicates, it’s a Christmas-style tea which makes it taste like potpourri. The flavor is interesting; after the first few minutes, it struck me as a sweeter kind of green but I can’t figure out the flavor - minty? Floral? Some sort of citrus orange? After another 5 minutes, it’s much stronger and I feel confident identifying it as an orange flavor. It’s strong enough that I don’t think I want to drink it on its own, but perhaps I could mix in the Dae-Jak. (Satori’s description identifies the contents: almond bits, cinnamon bits, natural flavor and orange blossoms. Makes sense.) I ultimately wound up picking out all the orange peel to make it more palatable.

Purchased at ICON 2012; after losing the bidding war for the tea item, I resolved to go find the original vendor in the dealers’ room, which I succeeded in doing. To my surprise, they were primarily a steampunk clothing vendor who happened to have one shelf-unit of tea mixes. Mostly blacks and rooibos, but there was one green that smelled nice and I was piqued that I had lost the bidding war Saturday for the awesome original ICON artwork and then the bidding war Sunday for the 3 teas, and it was just $3 an ounce. I had a nice chat with the guy, and bought an ounce of the mango green tea.

It has a pleasant green flavor with no real negatives, and the mango/apricot is not overwhelming. It degrades gracefully under resteeping. Overall, it’s quite good: better than most floral flavorings, above the peach tea (but below osmanthus oolong) in my estimation. Unfortunately, when I checked their website, they seem to offer no online shopping or long-distance ordering capability. I guess I will have to wait for ICON 2013 to buy some more.

Small sample packet - a sencha green with mango & mangosteen. Much better than the Stash Premium. It started off well, and handled resteeping admirably. Competitive with TeaAndAbsinthe’s sun dew apricot mango mix, although a simpler overall flavor.

After 5 minutes, struck me as rather grassy, akin to gyokuro, but with a weaker flavor. By 10 minutes, it was still grassy but a certain unpleasant edge had crept in, which was still there after the resteep. Not impressed. During the second-tasting, the unpleasant edge was weaker than I remembered, but otherwise both the Dae-Jak and Jung-Jak tasted the same.

Very similar to the Dae-Jak, but less sweet (when tasting them side by side); the sweetness passed Dae-Jak at 10 minutes, and at 15 minutes, I wasn’t noticing the unpleasant edge. Better than the Dae-Jak, but I still doubt I’ll be ordering it again.

At 1 minute, it’s a sharp tasting green which reminds me of a previous green tea I’ve had, but maddeningly, I can’t seem to place the specific aftertaste. At 5 minutes, the taste is stronger (but not more bitter or worse).

Picked up at my grocery store for $2 out of curiosity. As the instructions warn you, this green doesn’t handle resteeping very well and turns bitter after a few minutes. The roasted brown rice flavor is very strong and one can smell it upon opening a teabag packet. The green tea itself is acceptable. The combination is not bad, but I think the rice is over-toasted and comes off as a bit too burnt. The lesson here may be to find my own source of more lightly toasted brown rice.

This improves on the Yamamotoyama. The rice is toasted much more lightly. I liked it, especially for drinking in the morning, although it doesn’t handle resteeps well and tastes a bit burned. I think genmai-cha can probably be even better, though.

Devoid of the toasted-rice flavor - there’s grains of rice, yes, but it’s hard to believe they were ever toasted. It doesn’t taste nearly as good as the other two genmai-chas, and was a waste of money since it’s not that good a green tea on its own.

Genmaicha is a blend of Japanese green tea and roasted rice. Our Koto Genmaicha is a custom blend of Uji green tea and premium roasted Niigata brown rice. Enjoy its deep aroma and complex nutty flavor. Yields a vibrant yellow green tea. This tea is grown exclusively in the Uji region of Japan. The rice is grown exclusively in the Niigata, Japan.

Matcha Genmaicha is a blend of Japanese green tea and roasted rice coated with Matcha powder. Our Sato Matcha Genmaicha is a custom blend of Uji green tea and premium roasted Niigata brown rice coated with our Uji Matcha. Enjoy its complex aroma and deep nutty and leafy flavor. Yields a deep green colored tea. This tea is grown exclusively in the Uji region of Japan. The rice is grown exclusively in the Niigata of Japan.

I’m not sure what the point of the matcha powder is, aside from coloring. It doesn’t taste much different.

Marking a distinct departure from their gen-mai cha, which was seriously weak tea, here the jasmine is, if anything, too strong, overwhelming the green to the point where I’m not sure what it is. Since I like jasmine, this is good, and it resteeps well. (The only downside is that I was unable to drink the whole thing since about halfway through, I discovered a corner of the tin had become enveloped in a fuzzy mold; I keep my teas next to my sink & dish-drying rack, which might’ve caused that, but on the other hand, I can’t recall any of my other teas ever developing a fuzzy mold.)

Produced for the Japanese domestic market, this special Sencha has beautiful, evenly shaped, deep-green leaves with yellow highlights. The vegetal aroma is layered with lively nutty tones. The cup has medium body and well-balanced flavor. Certified organic.

Like the other senchas. A pretty yellow-green liquor and even flavor (not heavy on the vegetable nor sweet nor bitter). Doesn’t impress me as much as the Sencha Fukamushi or Tamaryokucha, and bitter on resteeps.

This offering is grown on the Nishi farm in the Kagoshima prefecture using the Yabukita cultivar, the most popular variety in Japan. Both the leaf and cup have a deep, dark green color and heady, rich aroma. The exquisite liquor has sweet, vegetal notes, a brothy mouth feel and pleasing, light astringency. The leaves are typical of the Fukamushi style, with both larger and small leaf pieces.

Powdery dark-green; the Upton description is dead on: a sweet vegetal taste with just the right amount of astringency. (No idea what is meant by brothy.)

Tamaryokucha, (coiled tea) is a superb, handcrafted green tea that has a full, complex flavor. Vegetal notes and a pleasing pungency are accentuated by hints of dark berries and a sweet aftertaste. Produced in Takachiho, Miyazaki from the Yabukita cultivar.

Tastes much like the gyokuro: the vegetal notes leavened by a sweet distinctive aftertaste. But much cheaper.

Bancha green tea is roasted evenly until it is brown, imparting a unique flavor. The liquor is golden brown; the taste is mellow.

A followup from Japanese Ku-Ki Ho-Ji Cha: since I liked the ku-ki when it was roasted, how would I like green tea similarly roasted? The answer is: quite well. It tastes much like the Ku-Ki Ho-Ji Cha, with perhaps a fuller flavor and a bit less bitter. I think I like it better as far as the roasted flavor goes (there’s no point in comparing with the Ku-Ki Cha Green Kamakura; that’s a green ku-ki, and this is roasted green) but I will probably order some of both later to directly compare.

A quality Matcha produced near Kakegawa city in Shizuoka prefecture. Packed in a silver matte tin.

This is the first tea I’ve ever bought where it came canned with a pull-tab. I suppose they are serious about preservation. The matcha is a bright green powder so fine and so consistent I briefly had the conviction that it was makeup or some industrial powder. The powder is so fine, in fact, that I immediately gave up the idea of using my usual Finum brewing basket, as the matcha would clearly clog the mesh and take forever to drain; instead, following descriptions of the tea ceremony and whipping up a dense liquid, I put spoonfuls directly into my tea mug with the water, and stirred vigorously. The water immediately takes on a totally opaque and somewhat-disturbing bright green appearance. The taste is strong and consistent and somewhat gyokuro-like, with almost no complexity or change in flavor over time that I noticed. It is certainly a matcha tea. Varying how much I put in did not seem to make much of a difference. 1g a mug (so 30 servings) works fine. Overall, while I’m impressed by the vividness of the green and the consistency of the powder and flavor, the flavor itself does not impress me enough to justify the price.

This extraordinary grade of Matcha Gen-mai Cha is seldom seen outside of Japan. The components are of an exceptional quality, and produce a harmonious, well-balanced infusion that is eminently smooth. Toasted rice adds a soothing and mellow quality to the complex vegetal flavor. Highly recommended. JAS certified organic.

This one was odd: it didn’t taste much like the regular matcha did. What it tasted exactly like was the Organic China Gen-mai Cha (but more expensive). I’ll be sticking with the other gen-mai chas.

This Shincha (first flush) tea is harvested on the 88th day of spring, and is manufactured using the traditional lightly-steamed process. The tea is made from the unique Okumidori varietal, known for yielding a very sweet and aromatic cup. The liquor has a mild aroma, with pleasant floral notes, accented by a delicate hint of freshly cut hay.

A very pleasant green tea in the same vein as the Tamaryokucha & Fukamushi.

Tamaryokucha is a Japanese green tea that is processed uniquely to achieve its coiled shape. Our Tamaryokucha Koga is a custom blend of high Sencha grade Japanese tea. Enjoy its subtle sweetness with a strong floral fragrance and flavor. Yields a bright yellow green tea. This tea is grown exclusively in the Ureshino region of Saga, Japan.

Uji tea is a high grade Japanese tea grown exclusively in the Uji region of Japan. Our Uji Shibano tea is custom blended for the high quality. Enjoy a slightly sweet and gentle flavor and vibrant aroma. Yields a deep yellow green tea. This tea is grown exclusively in the Uji region of Japan

Also known as Green Snail Spring, this exemplary China tea has a sweet, delicate aroma with mineral/seagrass notes. The flavor is very smooth with a buttery mouth feel. A light vegetal nuance and hint of melon complement a clean finish.

This outstanding selection is also known as Buddha’s Tea, a reference to its former cultivation at Buddhist monasteries. The sweet cup has a sublimely rich flavor, with a buttery mouth feel and pleasing finish. A connoisseur’s selection.

Both the Bancha and Foucha were better than the disappointment of the Pi Lo Chun Imperial, but neither lived up to the advertising.

Originally produced in the early 1980s, Pan Long Yin Hao (Curled Dragon Silver Tips) has won numerous awards in competitions held by China’s Ministry of Agriculture. This fine plucking is processed into a tighter roll than is typical for this style of tea. The cup is smooth and flavorful with predominantly sweet vegetal notes. The liquor has a round, brothy quality and pleasant finish.

A fine, Japanese style green tea, produced with traditional shade-grown techniques. The liquor is delicate and possesses a natural sweetness.

An attempt to clone the Japanese gyokuro plants & processing; it sort of succeeds in that you can tell from more than just the coloring/leaf-shape that it’s intended to be gyokuro, but the flavor shows there’s still work to be done.

This tea is produced from a fine plucking, with the leaf sets expertly crafted so that the first and second leaf envelop the downy white bud. The mild liquor has an enticing aroma, with a light sweetness and refined character. A very gentle pungency refreshes the palate.

Classified as a green by Upton’s, I would call it a white; the softness and fuzziness of the blades are common among whites. The description is accurate enough, but being a white, I don’t like it.

This unique selection is created using nitrogen during the production process. The resulting leaf is rich in the substance GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), which some purport to have salubrious properties. We like this tea because it has a rich taste with intense buttery notes in the aroma and flavor, and oceanic hints in the liquor. A truly satisfying cup.

This small production, Uji region Bancha tea is entirely handmade, from plucking to roasting. The bold leaves are produced from larger, older leaves and naturally contain much less caffeine than an average green tea. The liquor has a full yet smooth character with a pleasant toasty note in the flavor. This offering is a fairly rare treat for the Japanese tea enthusiast.

Unusually for Upton’s, the largest quantity carried is 30g. The leaves themselves are even more unusual: they are large, on par in size with cooking bay leaves but dark and almost shiny, reminding me of oak & maple leaves which have decomposed over a long winter. The Upton’s description mentions roasting the bancha, so this is a ho-ji cha. The other ho-ji chas left more of an impression.

The production of this classic tea begins with a fine plucking of select buds. The superb cup has a pale liquor with a light vegetal quality and a buttery mouth feel. The initial flavor notes, with hints of peach, are followed by a delicate menthol nuance. The finish is clean and refreshing.

This tea is produced on Jiu Hua Mountain, one of the four sacred Buddhist peaks in China. Crafted from a classic two leaves and a bud fine plucking, this leaf produces a delightful cup with a surprisingly full mouth feel and sweet floral nuances. The finish has a light, cleansing astringency. 3/4

This Dragon Well is made from a fine plucking, which is then processed in a traditional manner and fired in charcoal pans for finishing. The infusion has a light jade-yellow color. The aroma of the liquor is delightful, and portends the sweet corn nuances and chestnut hints teased from the cup.

The cup has an aroma of sweet peas and sea grass, with delicate floral notes. The first sip reveals a mild, sweet, and buttery smooth flavor. Light vegetal notes of sweet peas and corn silk are complemented by a savory undertone in the clean finish.

Wiry; sweet and gyokuro-like. I could see myself drinking this as a cheaper green. (Not as cheap as the Young Hyson though - 800g costs $51.)

An organic silver-tip green tea was scented with fresh, organic jasmine blossoms, creating this delightful tea. The cup aroma is candy sweet and redolent with the sublime scent of jasmine. The liquor is smooth and well balanced, with a pleasing level of jasmine flavor that lingers into the finish.

This selection from Kirishima, in Kagoshima prefecture, is crafted from the Yabukita cultivar and usually reserved for the domestic market. The mouth feel has a decidedly brothy character, and the flavor has a classic umami aspect. A superb specimen of this style and grade.

This selection was created using time-honored, hand-processing techniques that go back centuries. The cup has a soft and buttery complexion with a range of complex flavor notes. The liquor is extremely well-balanced and finishes on a clean, sweet note. The twenty-gram packets are factory packed and nitrogen flushed. Samples are repackaged at our facility. Produced in Shizuoka prefecture from the Saemidori cultivar.

Very fine sticky slices of dark green which cling to plastic surfaces (static electricity?) and expand surprisingly much when steeped. Simultaneously sweet and savory with a strange seafood-like aftertaste.

This 2016 Pre-Chingming offering has wiry, well-twisted leaves with a profusion of delicate, downy buds. The pale jade liquor is fragrant with light floral hints. The sweet cup is smooth and buttery, with a brothy mouth feel and clean finish.

The flat, spring green leaves of this 2016 Pre-Chingming selection produce a yellow jade liquor with a fresh vegetal aroma. The light cup is smooth and savory with hints of melon and chestnut. A crisp tang lingers in the finish.

The dark green leaf of this 2015 offering is twisted and curled. The cup has a vegetal aroma with hints of mint and sweet flowers. The liquor has a light vegetal flavor with a buttery mouth feel and hints of spice.

The attractive, dark green leaves are well-twisted and interspersed with many silvery-white tips. The dry leaf aroma has a smooth, fresh hay quality, with a hint of what some have likened to raw dough. The infused leaf has vegetal notes with a very subtle smoky suggestion. The light liquor has multiple layers of flavor. This 2015 selection is from Hunan province.

Japan’s finest green tea, made from single buds picked only in April or May; full-flavored with umami characteristics.

For gyokuro, this is excellently priced, and while I did not have any of Upton’s more expensive regular gyokuro at hand to compare side by side, I think the quality was only somewhat less. Sadly, hardly halfway through the tin, I realized I had made a major mistake in not transferring the bulk of it into a sealed container & using a smaller amount in a small container to protect against the extremely humid section of my kitchen where I store my teas, as I noticed that a mold had started to grow in one corner and the bottom half had compacted into a single mass & discolored. (This is similar to what happened with my Tao of Tea Handrolled Jasmine Pearls Green Tea balls.) I had to throw out the rest. I immediately transferred the Capital Tea Himalayan Golden Monkey, which was in a similar tin, into separate containers with some desiccant bags - but tragically it was too late for the gyokuro.

This green tea offering has large, well-twisted leaves that produce a light golden liquor with a delicate floral aroma. The smooth cup is well-balanced with a full, buttery mouth feel and gentle pungency. The flavor has sweet tropical fruit notes and light citrus hints. A suggestion of spice may be found in the clean, lingering finish. bleh

Limited lots of organic Gyokuro tea are produced each year. This lot has smooth umami notes, a rich cup and a clean, sweet finish. It was grown in Miyazaki prefecture using the Yabukita cultivar. We are happy to offer this tea while our current supply lasts.

The large, twisted leaves of this Pouchong selection yield a pale golden cup with a light floral essence in both the aroma and the flavor. A sweet honey note enhances the mild vegetal quality of the liquor. The finish is clean and refreshing.

One of China’s most well-known green teas, Pi Lo Chun, or Green Snail Spring, is named for its unique appearance. This 2016 Pre-Chingming selection has a mix of olive green leaves and silver tips rolled into the classic spiral shapes. The pale yellow-jade infusion is smooth and buttery with a vegetal aroma, hinting of fresh corn. Some have noted a hint of spice, suggestive of anise, in the gently pungent finish.

Reminiscent of a Yunnan green tea, this organic offering from Vietnam has bold, olive-green leaves with a crepe-y appearance. A fruity note is present in both the aroma and the cup. The bright golden liquor has a note of sweet uncured tobacco with peach hints in the finish.

(I would describe the sweet uncured tobacco as more of a smoky-puerh-like flavor.)

This 2016 Pre-Chingming offering is composed of bright-green, well-twisted leaves with a sprinkling of downy silver tips. A lovely floral note is present in both the aroma and the velvety smooth cup. The light jade liquor is flavorful and sweet with a full, buttery mouth feel and clean aftertaste.

The dark emerald green leaves of this offering produce a light jade liquor with a lively, vegetal aroma and a clean, savory quality. The cup has a slightly brothy mouth feel with sweet, buttery hints and a crisp finish. This tea has been expertly handcrafted using time honored methods and is good for multiple infusions.

During our most recent trip to China, we journeyed to the Weishan area. There, in back of the Buddhist temple, is an organic garden where we found a spring tea. It turned out to be a delightful discovery. Light in the cup, Weishan Mao Feng features just the right roast flavors. Details: Weishan is well known inside Hunan Province for its Buddhist temple honoring Guan Yin, and like many such centers there was tea made around the temple. Originally, it was probably monks that made the tea and then passed their knowledge down the local peasants. Most of the teas are very rustic with much use of charcoal firing that makes for a very smoky (and unpleasant for most Westerners) flavor. In fact they make a blend of tough leaves and dried vegetables that is made into a soup for the hard working local peasants. Although this region is not well known outside of Hunan, we like this example of the lighter, more elegant teas that are starting to be made. Dry Leaves: Mao Feng means downy tip in Chinese, meaning the bud is young and covered with white down like a bird. These are the tricomes or small outgrowths that protect the very young tea tip (also called a bud) from insects and hostile weather conditions. As the leaves matures, the tricomes disappear. So when one sees the downy tricomes it is a sign of a very young tip with all the desired qualities of sweetness and elevated levels of antioxidants. These leaves are definitely small with a silvery tips. Liquor: The color of the this tea is very light green with a slight khaki tinge that comes from the final firing over charcoal. Aroma: Light with vegetal roasts. This is the result of a light firing over charcoal in the traditional manner. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated Body: As mentioned, the leaves are very small and there are many tips, so the body is very light. Flavors: The mixture of light vegetal flavors of steamed green beans or artichokes is accented by the definite roast flavors from the final charcoal firing.

Ichiban Sencha is the first production from the all-important Kakegawa area within Shizuoka, Japan’s most important tea growing prefecture. This bracing, lemony tea is an assertive example of the popular style of deep steamed (Fukumushi) Sencha. Details: The Otsuka family has been making tea in the coastal region of Kakegawa for almost 150 years. This Ichiban is their pride, made from the tea fields that surround their factory. The area is so dominated by tea that one hill has a tea bush topiary trimmed to the shape of the Japanese character for tea. Ichiban is harvested on the first days of production in late April. It is made at an old, traditional factory and then finished at their plant. Compared with the polished and almost pastoral quality of Matsuda’s Sencha, this Ichiban has the punch and intensity of Tokyo’s rush hour. Dry Leaves A fine mix of leaf filaments that are light green and powdery. This is due to the deep steam (Fukumushi) method of fixing the teas green. The leaves are subjected to an extra thirty seconds of high pressure steam that totally breaks up the tea leaf. Liquor: This tea is a light green, and it is a little clouded from from the fine leaf particles that are dissolved in the liquor. Aroma: Ichiban has a citrusy top note of lemon juice and is balanced by the dark vegetal aromas of spinach and nori seaweed. Caffeine level: Caffeinated. Body: As a very early season tea, it is loaded with amino acids. So this tea has more body than most green teas. Flavors: The style of this Sencha is bracing and lemony at the start with the mellowness of cooked spinach at the finish. It is among the most assertive of Senchas that we offer. The guttiness and astringency come from the deep-steamed production method.

Produced in the most famous area in Japan, we present Uji’s most famous tea - Gyokuro. Japanese aristocrats have been sipping this highly regarded shade-grown emerald green tea for centuries. Details: Most Gyokuro is grown in Uji, half an hour south the former Imperial capital of Kyoto. To service the demands of the Emperor and other members of the aristocracy, there were large tea fields and many tea factories built around Kyoto. It was in the twilight of the Edo era that shade grown teas were commercialized. Dry Leaves: These leaves are shiny emerald green spindles. The dark green comes from the fact that tea is grown in increasing shade. The plant compensates by making extra chlorophyll. They are shiny spindles because they are processed in hot machines that straighten out the leaves, then the heat buffs the leaves. Liquor: A lovely pale green, caused by the extra chlorophyll. Aroma: Very spinachy and seaweedy, dark and decidedly vegetal, with none of the lemon sheen of Sencha. Caffeine level: caffeinated. Body: Overall it is medium bodied, however it is much fuller (coats your mouth) than other green teas. This is because in the final weeks of growing the plants are covered in shade, which increases the amino acids that create body. Flavors: The lush green flavor of the freshest steamed spinach, the cooked flavor of lightly toasted walnuts and a very slight note of sulfur. Filling and sustaining.

The island of Jeju (Cheju-do) is located south of mainland South Korea. Largely tourist, there is a great volcano and National Park located at its center. As the hills sweep up to meet the peak, vast and beautiful fields of green tea can be found at 4 different gardens. This style of Korean tea is similar to a Japanese Sencha in that it is lightly shaded and steamed during processing. Altogether, this tea lends itself a beautiful, curly leaf, an aromatic bouquet and a smooth cup. We are proud to offer our very first South Korean tea. Dry Leaves: Curly, forest green leaves. Liquor: Bright Lima bean green. Aroma: Sauteed spinach. Caffeine level: Caffeinated. Body: Light. Flavors: Mild notes of spinach & bok choy.

Lung Chings are famous worldwide as some of the best Chinese green teas. Our Lung Ching is made by a respected producer two hours beyond the traditional area. The small green leaves make for a brew that has a mild and sweet - almost nut-like - flavor. Since Lung Ching teas remain in consistently high demand, the price is dictated by the market. Details: This is an ancient tea that has come back to life. Dry Leaves: The flat, narrow leaf is stiff and smooth with a spear-like shape, about an inch long. Though it looks like a single flat needle, the unit actually comprises two leaves and a bud joined at a stem. Liquor: Pale yellow. Aroma: Steamed baby bok choy and lightly toasted walnuts. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium light. Flavors: The delicious meatiness of roasted eggplant with similar steamed bok choy and toasted walnut flavors.

It has been an honor to be the sole source for the great Japanese Sencha. The life’s work of a great tea man and his family, this Sencha has great body and flavor. Details: Mike has visited Matsuda and his family several times. Their house is located halfway up a hill that is covered with tea bushes, and looking out over the valley, that is all one sees. The family’s abode has been all business for generations. They have a space to make the tea in the back, with steamers to fix the green tea and rollers. This tradition and dedication serves us well, because it is a unique Sencha with a distinctive aroma, great body, and flavors that are hard to forget. Dry Leaves: The slender spears are a vivid, forest green which comes from constant attention through out the year. Liquor: In the cup, the tea is an intense yellow green. This is a sign that Matsuda has not taken the shortcut of covering his tea bushes like some of his neighbors. Aroma: Many senchas have similar aromas, however Matsuda’s teas smell wonderfully vibrant. There are fresh lemon notes backed by a nice spinachy aroma and the roasted hints of nori seaweed. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: A medium bodied tea that is still mouth-filling and brothy. This comes from the high levels of amino acids. Flavors: If you like the vegetal flavors of Japanese green teas, you are in for a treat! It opens with vegetal flavors that seem like sautéed chard and finish with roasted Nori. The tea’s pale sweetness is balanced by a slight bitterness on the back of the tongue. The sweetness endures and evolves long after you’ve sipped the tea.

One of the best Senchas from the Kagoshima area in southern Japan, this brew is light in the cup with a good balance of sweet and bitter flavors. Details: Kagoshima is the southern port of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. Spring springs earlier in Kagoshima than in the northern tea regions. The first fresh teas are from this area. The tea fields have been flattened and straightened, so that large tractors may be used to harvest the tea. Sometimes quantity is more important than quality in teas from Kyushu. Our friend Tsuyoshi looks for the best teas from the region. Included in the blend is Asatsuyu, which is called a natural gyokuro because of its mellow sweetness. Dry Leaves: This a blend of of silky, semi glossy deep-steamed (fukamushi) filaments and stiff forest green needles (futsumushi.) Liquor: The blend of teas in Kagoshima make for a pale green. Aroma: This is a blend of the several senchas from Kagoshima. They give the tea the high notes of fresh lemons and bell peppers with the mellowness of cooked spinach. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This is an early season tea, so it has high levels of amino acids, giving it good body for a Sencha. Flavors: Assertive notes of green bell peppers and lemons. There are hints of the flavor of roasted walnuts.

Moroccan Mint, our contemporary interpretation of the traditional Arabian beverage, features Gunpowder Green tea blended with exceptional peppermint leaves from Oregon. This combination imparts a uniquely brisk and aromatic green tea experience. Kosher. Caffeinated. Dry Leaves: The leaves of this gunpowder are very dark and tightly balled, made from tougher leaves. Liquor: The mint flavor in this tea and the oxidation process darken the liquor to a light brown. Aroma: A slight charred or burnt aroma due to the drying process, as well as a strong mint aroma. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This tea has a lighter body and a little less caffeine. Flavors: This tea has slightly vegetal flavors with strong tones of mint.

A pleasantly minty combination, but as always with gunpowder greens, it’s hard to steep them right without going into unpleasant bitterness.

Lung Ching is to Chinese green teas what French Champagne is to sparkling wines: the standard against which all others are measured. With almost no tips, it has the classic Chinese green tea qualities of steamed bok choy and roasted nuts. Details: Lung Ching means Dragon Well, which refers to an old well halfway up a hill outside of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, where the tea was originally grown. This tea comes from a village the other side of the hill, called. For the last few years, Mr. Zhao has made our Lung Ching. His house and tea factory is up the hill, with hills of tea plants just outside. We like to get our Lung Ching from tea just after the start of the season. The first teas are very, very expensive and often the tea does not match the price. This year we choose a tea that had great body and lovely sweetness, indicative of great levels of amino acids. Dry Leaves: The flat, narrow leaf is stiff and smooth with a spear-like shape about an inch long. Though it looks like a single flat needle, the unit actually comprises two leaves and a bud joined at the stem. Liquor: Pale yellow. Aroma: Steamed bok choy and toasted walnuts, with top notes of sweet spring grass. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium light. The tea is loaded with amino acids that give sweetness and body. Flavors: The delicious meatiness of roasted eggplant with similar steamed bok choy and toasted walnut flavors.

This is one of China’s most famous teas. Only tiny amounts are made on Junshan Island in northern Hunan Province. It is made of just the buds, which have been yellowed in a secret process. The liquor is more mellow than green teas, yet it is still slightly sweet. A delight to drink! Details: Please brew them in a tall glass by pouring the hot water first, then add the tea and admire how the buds slowly sink to the bottom. Dry Leaves: Long needles of white buds with tinges of darker yellow. Liquor: Pale yellow. Aroma: Subtle fruit aromas. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Light in body. Flavors: Light and sweet with subtle fruit flavors.

The rich flavors of Bangkok, Thailand are the inspiration for this tasty blend that combines green tea, lemongrass, vanilla, coconut and ginger. Also known as Green Tea with Coconut, Ginger & Vanilla. Kosher. Details: Many of the blends used in our flavored green teas are what might be considered sweet, as in a dessert. So, Mike wanted to do a tea that was more savory. Being a big fan of Thailand, he decided to lean on the flavors found in many Thai dishes (at least in the States), and that is what we have blended into the green tea: ginger for spice, lemongrass for some citrus flavors, and coconut for creaminess. It all comes together into a lovely tea. With our importation of coconut water, we get over to Bangkok at least once a year, and it is an amazing city. This confirms our opinion of choosing to honor the city and the cuisine of Thailand. Dry Leaves: Lighter colored lemongrass is visible amongst the green tea leaves of our Bangkok Tea. Liquor: Bright yellow with slightly brown hues. Aroma: The aroma of this tea is a tropical mélange, including ginger and vanilla. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This flavored green tea has a moderate to light body. Flavors: Bangkok has a mixture of coconut, lemongrass, ginger, and vanilla flavors.

A pleasant combination, the vanilla and coconut are almost toasty. I imagine that coconut flavoring might pair well with a genmai-cha.

We’re pleased to offer Hunan Mao Jian, a nice organic green tea from China, as a good value that is possible to enjoy often. Details: While looking for the best teas in Changsha, we found this organic green tea. Not every occasion demands the best tea; this is a nice one to drink more often. Dry Leaves: Big curls of dark green tea. Liquor: Medium yellow. Aroma: A light squash like nose. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Light bodied. Flavors: Good vegetal flavors like zucchini.

Bi Lo Chun, a green tea from Jiangsu Province in China, offers pronounced roasted vegetal flavors of grilled endive, with a somewhat bitter bite. You’ll enjoy its charming floral and citrus flavors. Details: This is a light green tea that has a wonderful mixture of sweetness, vegetal flavors, and a bit of smoke. Bi Lo Chun comes from the tiny Dongting island in Jiangsu Province. It the most northerly grown tea in China. Dry Leaves: A mixture of dark green, almost bluish gray, spiraled wiry filaments coated in fuzzy yellow down. Liquor: Pale green, slightly cloudy from the down. Aroma: Light and sweet, with the roasted sweetness of brown sugar and a vegetal base note. The top layer has hints of smoke. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Light and slightly brisk. The briskness dries the mouth slightly. Flavors: The faintest hint of flowers is nearly matched by the roasted vegetal flavor.

Matcha is a much beloved green tea in Japan, yet it can seem intense to the uninitiated Westerner. As an alternative, we suggest Matcha iri Genmaicha, the best of both worlds. The bancha (cha) leaves and brown rice (genmai) that comprise Genmaicha are coated with Matcha green tea powder, and the result is fantastic! Details: Mike’s son Emeric popularized this tea for the Harneys years ago. He used to take some of the Matcha Jobetsugi and dust our Genmaicha with it. It became a big hit at our Millerton shop. So we rolled it out, and people have enjoyed it ever since. Dry Leaves: Genmaicha is coated with matcha. This tea is a blend of large bancha leaves and the brown toasted rice with occasional popped rice dusted with brilliant green tea powder. Liquor: The liquor is greener than most teas, except our matchas. Aroma: The predominant aroma is that of the roasted brown rice with vegetal undernotes and hints of citrus. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Matcha iri Genmaicha is a medium bodied green tea. The matcha gives it body, but the rice makes it a lighter brew, so it ends up in the middle. Flavors: This has become a popular tea. People have love the flavor of roasted vegetable for time immemorial. When the wonderful vegetal flavors (spinach and artichoke) are added, it becomes irresistible.

For Blueberry Green, we’ve artfully blended Chinese green tea with lemongrass, blueberry, and vanilla to create a brew that’s sure to hit all the right notes. Delicious hot or iced. Details: Growing up around here, one of our favorite times was picking blueberries on the slopes of the high hills of Mt. Riga. We were able to capture that delight in this tea. Dry Leaves: Green leaves. Liquor: Pale yellow. Aroma: The smell of summer and ripe blueberries. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This green is light in body. Flavors: Lovely ripe blueberries, just like up on our hills.

Thin-tasting and a bit sour. The lemongrass doesn’t help - lemon and blueberry‽

We often suggest Citron Green, a lightly flavored green tea, to our tasting room customers interested in trying green tea for the first time. The delicate citrus flavor and beautiful orange flavors provide a gentle introduction to the world of green tea. Loose tea, sample.

On our annual trip to China, we were shown a new area in southern Zhejiang Province. There, veteran tea growers have created a new tea garden using the famous Anji tea plants. They have used these plants to make great tasting green & black teas. It was wonderful to see innovation at work. Dry Leaves: A mixture of bright and dark green twisted leaves. Liquor: Lima bean green. Aroma: Fresh cucumbers. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Mild. Flavors: Cucumbers and zucchinis.

Bancha is summertime green tea from Japan, notable for its grassy flavor and no smokiness. Details: It is amazing what a few weeks make. Banchas are made of large, tougher leaves. As the season wears on, the chemical composition of the leaves change. By the time the Bancha harvest begins, the smoother-tasting polyphenols in the leaves have been replaced by harsher ones, and the leaves have lost amino acids that create sweetness and body. Bancha yields a grassier, lighter-bodied tea. Dry Leaves: Bancha consists of wide leaves mixed with stalk, ranging in color from sage green to khaki. Liquor: Bright Yellow. Aroma: Bancha is a summer grown tea, so it is lively and grassy. It is as if someone had turned up the volume on a Sencha. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: With its big leaves an occasional stems, this Bancha’s body is light. Flavors: Japanese Bancha has lighter vegetal flavors of grass, celery, and wet wood, yet it is very assertive.

Are you looking for a plain green tea that has flavor and some body, yet without the caffeine? We propose our Decaf Sencha as your clear choice; Harney & Sons offers simply the best! Details: People who choose to drink decaf teas often get a bad deal. Their teas simply taste bad. We wanted to offer them something better. We work with tea suppliers and decaffeination factories to make good tasting green teas. We supplied the good teas and they removed the caffeine using carbon dioxide. Dry Leaves: This Decaf Sencha is based on a Chinese green tea and consists of wide leaves mixed with stalk, ranging in color from sage green to khaki. Liquor: Bright yellow. Aroma: Our Decaf Sencha comes from summer grown tea, so it is a lively, grassy tea. When the caffeine is removed, so is some of the flavor. Caffeine Level: Decaffeinated. Body: When the caffeine is removed, so are some of the compounds that create body in tea. So it is lighter in body. Flavors: Lighter vegetal flavors of grass.

Lemony Gunpowder, a popular flavored green tea, is based on traditional Gunpowder with a hint of lemon added to brighten the flavor. Kosher. Dry Leaves: The dark, balled leaves of this flavored gunpowder are blended with lemon. Liquor: The liquor of this tea is a light yellow. Aroma: A slightly charred aroma, combined with lemon. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: A medium body. Flavors: Charred and very slightly vegetal with a strong lemon accent.

A very rare, light and sweet green tea made from wild tea plants growing in China’s Jiangxi Province. Details: An unexpected but delightful part of our recent trip to China was the excursion to Yangjiaping village high in the mountains of Jiangxi Province. As we rolled up the mountain and into a small village, we were told that we were the first western tea buyers to visit this tiny village that is devoted to tea. They certainly did treat us like royalty. We took a walk up to the top of the mountain to see the tea gardens. On the way down, our friends pointed out some wild tea bushes. After a great meal made by the boss’s family, we were shown some the teas made from wild tea bushes. We were very pleased with them and now you can be pleased with them too! Dry Leaves: Long twisted dull green leaves w/ silver tips. Liquor: Light olive. Aroma: Light vegetables. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Light body. Flavors: Light vegetables like sweet Lima beans.

We are pleased to bring you this special offering, as Tencha is rare to find for sale, even inside Japan. Tencha is the base green tea for making powdered matcha. Dark in color yet light in the cup, this tea has a lot of body (or umami) and no roast flavors. Details: Why offer what no one else offers? Well, the question answers itself; we like being different. Also, Tencha looks stunning and delivers a lovely cup of tea. Finally, we like the educational value of comparing and contrasting this tea with other teas, especially Matcha. It is amazing that the vivid green flecks that make a clear liquor become a duller green and and opaque when ground between two rotating stones. Dry Leaves: These tea leaves look like no other: small, dark green, round, and ragged flecks. This is because Tencha is a grown in the shade, like Gyokuro. We get our Tencha from the source of the best Matcha: Uji. After plucking by hand, the leaves are cut and dried by warm air. Liquor: Although the leaves are a very dark green, the tea brews up a light yellow green, very different from Matcha. Aroma: There is a light vegetal aroma of lightly cooked spinach, with the slight sweetness of steamed white rice. Since this tea is dried by air, without any direct contact with intense heat, there are no roasty toasty aromas. This is unlike any other Japanese green tea. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Given the light liquor, the body is surprisingly full. This is because the amount of amino acids that give body and create umami is higher in shade-grown plants. Flavors: A cup of this tea delivers on the aromas, light spinach backed by the rounded sweetness of steamed rice. And there are none of the roasted nuts or toasty flavors found in other Japanese teas.

Difficult to drink loose without a strainer because of the extreme flakiness and the leaves not settling after steeping. The flavor profile is flat and somewhat like mulberry or bamboo.

We call this tea Japanese Sencha because not all Sencha on the market is from Japan. Our Sencha is a very fine one from the central Shizuoka province, and can be found in many homes in Tokyo. It is a pleasant and approachable green tea - a fine choice for everyday, in the way our founder John Harney always began his mornings with this cup. Kosher. Details: The Kaburagi family has sold to Americans for over 110 years. They are well known in Tokyo and throughout Japan as a pre-eminent supplier of tea. They supply this pleasant Sencha from central Shizuoka. To keep the price somewhat reasonable, we choose teas from the middle of the season. John Harney drank this tea everyday for over 10 years. He valued the pleasant flavor and the antioxidants. Dry Leaves: The leaves from this tea are a medium lime green color. Since this is a traditional sencha (futsumushi) the leaves are more identifiable than in the deep steamed (fukamushi). Liquor: The liquor is a medium green, not as intense as the Ichiban. The green is a truer green than the Bancha, which tends more towards yellow. Aroma: Our Japanese Sencha has pleasant spinachy notes, with slight roast flavors that are similar to toasted bread. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: As a mid-season Sencha, this green tea has good levels of amino acids and more body than most green teas. Flavors: This is a very pleasant green tea. The mild vegetal flavors with light accents of citrus and toast make this a tea that can handle all your moods - every day.

This Japanese green tea is a hit! Sencha Scent of Mountains remains one of the most popular teas at our SoHo flagship store. People love the delicious light vegetal taste and distinctive aromas of this unique tea, grown in the highest region of Shizuoka. You will too! Details: The Otsuka family, who supply several of the Japanese green teas, did a great job with this Sencha. Scent of the Mountain comes from Kawane, which is the highest tea region in the massive Shizuoka tea region. Although not as high as Darjeeling or Uva, it is high for Japanese tea gardens. The cooler air helps make for the lovely aroma. Dry Leaves: The leaves are medium in size, maybe a quarter of an inch with some even smaller. The tea is forest green with some lighter stalks included. The tea is between a regular steamed tea and a deep steamed tea, and this accounts for the size of the leaves. Liquor: The liquor is light and clear. Aroma: They do not call it Scent of the Mountain for no reason. This tea has a lovely, beguiling vegetal aroma. Few can resist. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: The body is light. This come from the Shizouka region, and is not deep steamed, so the body is lighter than other Senchas. Flavors: Like the aroma, the flavors are enticing. The vegetal spinachy flavor comes through clearly and strongly.

Japanese teas are popular because people like the aromas, flavors, and even the elevated levels of antioxidants. We offer Yanagi as a value-based alternative to some of the more costly greens, so you may enjoy Sencha flavors more often. Details: Our supplier from Uji, in Japan recommended that we try this tea. It is made at the same time as high quality Sencha, however it is not considered acceptable as a Sencha. It represents a good value. Dry Leaves: These are large green leaves, mostly medium green but with some lighter colored stalks. This tea looks like Sencha, but larger. That is because it is the rejects from the Sencha made in May. Liquor: The liquor is a pale light green, similar to most Senchas but light. The big leaves account for the lighter color. Aroma: Yanagi’s aroma is a lighter version of most Sencha: spinach and nori seaweed with the backnotes of toast. This is contrast to a tea it might be confused with: Bancha. However Yanagi has none of the grassy aromas found in Bancha. This is because it is made in the Spring like senchas. Bancha is made later. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This a medium bodied green tea. Flavors: Steamed leaf vegetables like spinach or tatsoi with some roasted flavors.

Genmaicha is a different kind of Japanese green tea that many people find intriguing. Brown rice kernels (genmai) are added while the green Bancha leaves (cha) are being dried, so the kernels get crispy and some burst open. Genmaicha has a unique appearance and a pleasant roasted flavor. Kosher. Details: Bancha is a summer tea made after the Sencha season. Because there is so much of this inexpensive tea, an innovative Kyoto tea merchant thought to combine the two staples of the Japanese diet, bringing Genmaicha into existence. Once considered a cheap peasant beverage, Genmaicha has recently come into vogue among the Japanese urban elite. Dry Leaves: Broad yellow-green Bancha tea leaves are mixed with toasted brown rice. Liquor: The liquor is vibrant light green tinged slightly khaki brown from the rice. Aroma: The predominant aroma is the roasted brown rice with light vegetal undernotes and hints of citrus from the Bancha. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Genmaicha is a light-bodied green tea. Flavors: Above a baseline vegetal flavor of spring grass, there is the strong roasted flavor from the toasted rice. It is evocative of popcorn.

In the past, we have avoided Organic Sencha. Our feeling was maybe it was organic, and maybe it was a Japanese Sencha, but the tea did not meet our taste expectations. However, Mike met our current supplier a few years ago and was quite impressed by this Sencha. This one is certified organic - and it is certainly from Japan - and most importantly, it tastes like a good Sencha. Details: The Organic Sencha is the real deal. We were happy to find a nice tasting green tea that was truly Organic and truly a Sencha. We are big fans of Matsuda and his Sencha. When we learned that this tea was the from the same valley: Watsuka, we were very excited. Organic teas are very important to some, however, sometimes it is hard to find these teas made in Japan. The tea makers often feel that they can not make good tea without the addition of Nitrogen. This element is found in every amino acid (even those in your body) and amino acids give Sencha there body or umami, also they add sweetness to the brew. However this teamaker gets by with natural fertilizers. Yes, the tea is a bit weaker than other Senchas, but is still very nice. Dry Leaves: The leaves are medium green, and shorter in length than other Senchas. This tea comes from the same valley as Matsuda’s Sencha, so the microclimate (or terroir) and the traditions make it possible to make good Sencha. Liquor: The liquor is a light, clear green because the tea is regular steamed (in contrast to deep-steamed.) Aroma: This tea has an aroma of lightly steamed vegetables like spinach. Since it is organic, the aromas will be lighter. In comparison to conventional tea, there are less amino acids.Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: The body is lighter than most Senchas. Flavors: Organic Sencha has agreeable vegetal flavors, but the volume is turned down. It comes from a great area, so the tea does have some amino acids and antioxidants to make an agreeable tea, just less of them.

Based on a hand-picked organic green tea from Southern India, our refreshing Organic Green with Citrus & Ginkgo blend delivers the benefits associated with green tea and ginkgo. It features a dash of lemongrass and the bright taste of natural citrus. This tea uses Fair Trade teas. Details: This was one of our first certified Organic teas. We decided to give the green tea blend a bit of functionality and added some Ginkgo. However we can not remember the reason! Dry Leaves: This Indian Green Tea is certified organic and blended with cut lemongrass and citrus peels. Liquor: The liquor of this tea is a very light green-brown. Aroma: This tea has a citrus aroma with a trace of ginkgo that gives an earthy twang. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: A light body. Flavors: A mixture of vegetal and citrus flavors with a unique ginkgo taste.

Chun Mee is a traditional green summer tea from China, with a lightly roasted vegetal taste. When John Harney started in the tea trade over 30 years ago, Chun Mee was one of only two green tea offerings from China, along with Gunpowder. Our offerings have greatly expanded since then, yet many people still enjoy Chun Mee’s familiar taste. Details: This is the green tea that many of us and our parents grew up with; many of us crave its roasted and assertive flavors. It is made from the tougher leaves that are fixed green, and then fired for an extended period in a hot rotating oven. Dry Leaves: Grayish green leaves rolled into a semi-circle. It is easy to see where the name Chun Mee, comes from; it means eyebrows. Liquor: Bright yellow. Aroma: Definitely charred vegetal aromas. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium bodied from heavy roasting. Flavors: The flavor of leeks that have been left on the grill for a very long time.

Our Chinese Flower tea is a joy for the eyes and the palate. A beautiful and aromatic blend of Chun Mee and three types of flower petals, you’ll notice accents of citrus flavors. Kosher. Dry Leaves: A blend of Chun Mee and various flower petals and orange peel. Liquor: The flowers in this flavored green tea make the liquor a yellowish-brown, similar to a gunpowder tea. Aroma: A light aroma of flowers and Chun Mee. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This tea has a light body due to the flowers blended into it. Flavors: The orange peel gives this tea a light citrus flavor while the flower petals give it a floral taste as well.

The Chun Mee is not improved by an attempt to turn it into patchouli..

Gardens inspire by showing continual growth, renewal, and vitality; it also takes love, tenderness, and care to nurture a garden. It is in Jane’s memory, a lifelong friend and gardener, that Jane’s Garden Tea was blended to show support during her battle against breast cancer. We are pleased to offer Jane’s Garden Blend two ways: as loose tea in our traditional black tin, and also in a beautiful pink and green tin with 20 tea sachets. Kosher. One dollar ($1) of the proceeds from the sale of Jane’s Garden tins will be shared by the Jane Lloyd Fund and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The Jane Lloyd Fund helps patients in Salisbury, CT with their day-to-day expenses while battling cancer. The National Breast Cancer Foundation provides mammograms, education and research about breast cancer nationwide. Dry Leaves: Dark green leaves with bright rose petals. Liquor: Jane’s Garden Tea has a light yellow liquor. Aroma: This tea has a light floral aroma. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: A light body due to the rose petals and floral flavors. Flavors: A delicate floral flavor is brought out in this tea by the rose petals blended with the green tea leaves.

Delight in Dragon Pearl Jasmine tea - a masterpiece from Fuan, China - comprised of little hand rolled tea pearls gently infused with floral essences from jasmine flowers. The tea is a beautiful to look at, and the light colored brew is full of floral and sweet aromas. Kosher. Details: There was a time, and it was not too long ago, that there was no Dragon Pearl Jasmine. Now the world is a better place. These are hand rolled by ladies in Fuan in northern Fujian Province. When Mike met the lady that originated this lovely tea, he thanked her on behalf of all tea drinkers. Dry Leaves: Small rolled pearls of faded green and white leaves. They are very pretty. Liquor: A light and clear liquor that is tinged a pale yellow. Aroma: There is no question here: Jasmine and more jasmine! Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This is a medium bodied tea. Flavors: What a wonderful tea! We looked long and hard to find a tea that is both sweet and very floral. Please enjoy it as is, there is no need to alter it all.

Flavoring teas with Jasmine flowers is an ancient Chinese tradition. The base of our Jasmine is a Pouchong tea, which is slightly browner than green tea. We add fresh jasmine flowers to create a delicate and fragrant brew. Kosher. Caffeinated. Details: The Chinese love to mix Jasmine flowers with various teas. We offer four options: Jasmine, Yin Hao Jasmine, Silver Needle Jasmine, and Dragon Pearl Jasmine. This is our most basic Jasmine, however it is much better than those served in many Chinese restaurants. Dry Leaves: Medium sized pale green leaves with dried jasmine flowers. Liquor: Yellowish green. Aroma: Over the vegetal base, there is a strong Jasmine flower aroma. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: This is a medium bodied tea. Flavors: The floral flavors of Jasmine are very present.

This is a perfect tea for getting your daily dose of greens. This fannings grade produces a smooth and flavorful cup within a minute. Value-priced for everyday consumption and chosen for its pleasing character, this tea is an excellent choice for the green tea enthusiast on a budget.

Cheap indeed, oversteeps almost immediately, and yields a somewhat bitter ordinary green. It may cost next to nothing but demonstrates it’s worth paying a little more for real greens.

Another CO2 decaffeination test along with the Sweet Orange Black, but where the black is so masked by the sweet orange that I can’t evaluate it, one sip of the green and I instantly recognize the hollow flavor, something deeply wrong with the taste, I remembered from Harney’s decaf green tea. Indeed, so similar are they that I immediately wondered if I had bought the same tea, but closely comparing the photos and descriptions, while I can’t rule it out, it seems like they are different teas. In any case, this was a disappointment because it implies that the advertising of the CO2 decaffeination as preserving the flavor is optimistic at best, and cannot provide high quality decaf teas.

Bold, well-twisted leaves are interspersed with silver downy buds, creating an attractive appearance. The rose-gold liquor has an initial sweetness, which is tempered by a vegetal hint and a brothy/buttery mouth feel. This offering is produced with time-honored techniques and finished with a charcoal basket firing, which lends a light toasty hint to the cup.

Literally translated as round tea, this tea is produced using the same unshaded leaf type as Sencha. Instead of the classic needle shape, the leaf is rolled into a small ball shape. The tea has a flavor profile much like a quality Sencha.

Similar to Ko-kei Cha: unusual chunky/flake-like appearance, sort of sencha flavor but not a standout.

Fresh, sweet, vegetal infusion. This extra fine Japanese cultivar is gently steamed to release the light and complex green tea sweetness. Most popular as an everyday delight, but elevated by the discerning selection of artful cylindrical leaves which infuse the fresh green taste of an early Spring harvest in each and every cup.

This Sichuan province classic has a noble and venerable pedigree, being used long ago as a tribute tea. It is composed mainly of downy buds, with a small complement of young leaf. The complex flavor has a pleasant sweetness. The mouth feel has a brothy character and the aftertaste is smooth and light.

Gu Zhang Mao Jian, or Sky Between the Branches is a relatively rare tea, traditionally only harvested for a short time in the spring. The cup is quite satisfying, with interesting notes of nuts, as well as a sweet herbaceous quality.

The beautifully handcrafted leaves of this organic green tea yield a pale jade green infusion with a fresh aroma, hinting of sweet corn and spring flowers. The delicate cup is smooth and buttery with nutty notes and a sweetness reminiscent of almond paste. Fruity nuances lead to a crisp, clean finish.

From Fujian province, this special, handcrafted selection is composed of downy silver tea buds. The champagne-gold liquor has a savory aroma with earthy, vegetal hints. The brothy cup has a buttery mouth feel with melon notes and hints of honey and sweet tobacco. Supplies are limited.

A profusion of fuzzy, cream-colored buds provide a beautiful contrast to dark olive leaves in this handcrafted offering from the 2017 Pre-Chingming season. The pale gold liquor is sweet and delicate with a buttery mouth feel and floral notes. Supply of this superlative selection is limited.

Handcrafted using time-honored traditional methods, this attractive tea is comprised of predominantly golden buds, covered in fine silky hairs. The ruby-copper cup is robust and earthy with a pronounced cocoa aroma and flavor. A light toastiness leads to a smooth, lingering finish hinting of spice.

One of China’s most well-known green teas, Pi Lo Chun, or Green Snail Spring, is named for its unique appearance. This 2017 Pre-Chingming selection has a profusion of silver tips mixed with olive green leaves, which are rolled into curly spiral shapes. The pale golden infusion is smooth with a sweet delicate aroma and fresh herbaceous flavor.

This organic tea has the bold flavor of a high-fired tea, yet it has a pleasing smoothness with delicate sweetness. The thin, well-twisted leaves produce a liquor with a pale green color. This is a very popular style of China green tea with a bolder leaf.

The silver-tipped leaves have an appearance that has been likened to that of sea snails. The aroma is fragrant with a pronounced nutty note. The cup has a complex flavor profile and a savory, brothy character. The smooth, clean finish has a pleasant hint of sweetness.

Sprinkled with silvery buds, the long olive-green leaves have been carefully plucked and handcrafted to produce this high-quality green tea selection. The cup aroma is sweet and delicate with buttery vegetal notes. The pale yellow-jade infusion is light yet flavorful, with a slightly brothy, savory quality. Floral hints lead to a smooth, clean finish.

The beautiful, uninfused leaves have a wonderful aroma, with a sweet essence that has a faint evergreen note. The overall appearance is stunning, with plentiful golden buds, yielding a smooth liquor with medium body and subtle berry notes.

In this 2017 Pre-Chingming selection from Yunnan province, a profusion of downy golden tips are rolled into spiral shapes with a soft, silky feel. Rich cocoa notes predominate in both the aroma and the deep amber liquor. The creamy smooth cup hints of raisins as well as malt and spice in the finish.

Upton: Pre-Chingming Yunnan Black Snail (12g $3) (★★★☆☆/ ★★★★☆)

A fine plucking of leaves and downy golden buds are loosely rolled into interesting snail shapes in this 2017 Pre-Chingming selection. The deep amber cup has a complex aroma with notes of cocoa and dark honey. The full-bodied liquor is silky smooth with notes of sweet cocoa and malt. The finish lingers with warm spicy hints.

Fukamushi (Deep-Steam) manufacture requires special processing and a longer steaming time than traditional Sencha, resulting in a sweet, rich taste and thick cup. The tea takes on a broken appearance, with a mixture of fine particles and larger leaf. Fukamushi Sencha is prized for its superior taste, rather than the visual appearance of its leaf. Certified organic, this tea was grown in Kagoshima prefecture using a Yabukita cultivar.

Dark-olive leaves, decorated with silver tea buds, have been scented with jasmine flowers in this superlative offering from Fujian province. The light golden infusion is redolent with the fragrance of a fresh bouquet of jasmine and lilac blossoms. The full-bodied cup is smooth and refreshing, with very sweet jasmine notes that complement the high-quality green tea base.

This rare offering is produced from carefully selected leaf sets, consisting of buds and tender first-leaf sets. It is then scented with the highest quality jasmine blossoms, which are later painstakingly removed to ensure that the quality of the leaf is represented in the cup.

A disappointing set of jasmine teas - they all tasted about the same to me.

Flat, lustrous leaves, in shades of spring green, produce a pale yellow jade cup with a smooth, full mouth feel. Classic notes of chestnut are prominent in both the aroma and the flavor, as well as fresh vegetal notes, which are enveloped by a rich toastiness. The finish lingers to allow your further enjoyment of this outstanding selection.

Delicate, white tips thread through beautiful, handcrafted leaves in this very special 2017 Pre-Chingming selection. The pale jade cup has a fresh vegetal aroma with a whisper of flowers. A silky smooth mouth feel introduces a hint of honey, which lingers into the finish.

Nepal. In variegated tones of olive green and downy silver, the dry leaves of this selection produce a tea with flavor notes similar to the finest Yunnan green teas. The light, buttery smooth mouth feel and clean, sweet taste are balanced with a pleasing pungency. A quality selection sure to please the most discerning green tea enthusiast.

From Fujian province, the olive-green leaves have been loosely rolled into pearls, showing some visible downy tips. The dark golden liquor has a light earthy aroma with a faint suggestion of tobacco. A smooth, savory flavor with hints of melon adds a pleasing complexity to the cup. The finish lingers with a buttery mouth feel and light fruity nuances.

Produced in An Hui province, this classic green tea yields a smooth, complex cup. The flavor profile has a note of steamed peas, with hints of popped corn. This tea is one of China’s Ten Famous Teas, a traditional list containing what was purported to be the best teas produced in China long ago.

Silver downy tea buds have been expertly scented with jasmine, lending a sweet perfumed essence to this distinctive selection from Fujian province. The white tea base adds a light savory body to the pale straw-colored infusion. Gentle floral notes in the cup complement the herbaceous melon notes of the white tea. Hints of honey lead to a delicate, lingering finish.

This fine Jasmine selection produces an amber gold cup with a rich, full mouth feel. The flavor showcases a perfect balance between the base tea and its meticulous jasmine scenting. Light floral notes are highlighted by a hint of sweetness that lingers into the finish.

Ku-ki

An obscure niche of tea is kukicha/ku-ki/kuki-cha/kuki hojicha/twig/stick tea: a de-mono tea made from, as it sounds, the byproduct stems of the tea leaves proper. Despite having few or no tea leaves, this near-oxymoron turns out to yield a tasty tea. (And since leaves secrete caffeine as an insecticide while tougher stems don’t need as much protection, ku-ki will usually be low in caffeine.) They seem to usually be considered a kind of green tea but that might be due to the connection to sencha/gyokuro/matcha manufacturing since some come roasted and overall ku-is reminds me more of oolongs than greens. I discovered ku-kis entirely serendipitously, which is too bad; their obscurity means many people who might like them will probably never hear of or give them a try.

This was a random try of a tea bag, and I was a little dubious - twig kukicha doesn’t sound very promising, and twiggy is usually a bad adjective coming from me. But the first steep turned out to be fairly good, as did the second steep. The Wikipedia description of it as mildly nutty and slightly sweet turns out to be on the money; it also reminded me of genmai-cha. There was only one tea bag, so my first impression will remain limited, but I think I will try some kukichas in the future. (Upton’s stocks 3 Japanese kukichas and 1 Chinese.)

To my sorrow, this was the only ku-ki tea Upton’s had in stock when I ordered this batch, and not the one I was most interested in (the roasted ku-ki cha). This may be a continuing effect from the Fukushima incident which cut off many rarer Japanese teas.

Regardless, I like it. It has a sort of hybrid green-oolong taste, but with a nutty or roasted-barley overtone. (The only downside was that I drink my teas without a strainer or tea ball, and the stems & twigs all float!) This suggests that the one packet I tried before was not an aberration; if Upton’s doesn’t have any more when next I order, I’ll probably look for another retailer which does have some.

This carefully roasted Ku-Ki Cha (twig tea) produces a golden brown cup with a sweet vegetal flavor. A mild tea that is naturally low in caffeine. The distinct toasty notes linger pleasingly on the palate. Not to be confused with regular Ho-Ji Cha.

Fortunately, they did have two available when I ordered in June 2015 (the two Japanese ones, but not the Chinese). The roasted ku-ki cha is all-twig and dark brown; it tastes strong and like heavily-toasted genmai-cha, nutty and bordering on smoky. (Reminds me of the Choice Organic Tea one.) An interesting flavor worth trying.

Browsing Whole Foods for the first time in years aside from noting that the clientele is surprisingly tall compared to at Walmart and that many New Age fads like homeopathy and probiotics have yet to run their course, I lamented that their selections remained entirely teabag-oriented (with the honorable exception of some surprisingly reasonably priced matcha powder) when I spotted a most unexpected box of kukicha teabags. Having exhausted Upton’s selection, I was curious, and it’s always good to support the more obscurer kinds when they show up in a mainstream retailer so I gave it a try.

Eden takes a similar tack as Choice Organic Tea’s teabags: it’s a mild flavor, neither bitter nor sweet, with a sort of nutty or coffee vibe. Nothing special but a good my-first-kukicha..

Our Hojicha Kurenai is exclusively made from tea leaf stems. The stems provide a longer lasting flavor and more infusions. Enjoy a mild roasted flavor with a deep and pleasant aroma. Yields a deep red colored tea. This tea is grown exclusively in Kyoto, Japan.

In early November 2015, the exchange rate for Bitcoin suddenly increased steadily to the point where it had gained 50% and would ultimately almost double; I hold more bitcoins than I want to at this point due to laziness about cashing out (I haven’t sold too much in part because I’m worried about going past some threshold and then having a headache of taxes to deal with), and I couldn’t see any good reason for the exchange rate to increase so much, so I decided to cash out some in the form of consumption. I prepaid some hosting costs, donated $540 to GiveDirectly, another $50 to the Brain Preservation Foundation, experimented with buying some household goods I needed off Amazon via Purse.io (which worked more smoothly than I had expected aside from their website not working in my Iceweasel web browser), and finally thought - I wonder if anyone sells good loose tea for bitcoins? Turned out at least 4 did: Tealet, New Mexico Tea Company, Beautiful Taiwan Tea, & Teanobi. Tealet struck me as extremely expensive (1g/$!) and I didn’t like the focus on blacker teas since that end of the spectrum has not worked out well for me in the past even when darker teas have been advertised as oolongs; New Mexico Tea Company looked OK, and I was thinking of trying the plum & orange blossom oolongs but I didn’t see anything else that grabbed me and I try to order at least 3 teas at a time to amortize S&H; Beautiful Taiwan Tea struck me as sketchy, somehow, so I moved on; finally, at Teanobi, which has an interesting emphasis on green teas as cooking ingredients & coffee blends, I found some of my old favorites and some new ones to try, so though fairly expensive (5g/$) I ordered 5 from them at ฿0.208 (a hojicha, 2 genmai-chas, a Uji Shibano, and a Tamaryokucha Koga), then $95, and a week later (after the teas had arrived), worth $70 (so by quickly buying, I got in effect a 25% discount). They all turned out to be good, although tasting so similar to the previous Upton’s that I find myself wondering if Teanobi & Upton’s are sourcing to the same tea farms (presumably there aren’t that many hojicha tea makers in Japan). I also wish all 5 had come in resealable foil packets; 2 did, but the other 3 are not resealable which is always a nuisance.

The Hojicha is, well, similar to the Upton’s Japanese Ku-Ki Ho-Ji Cha. The only difference is that it tastes somewhat sharper and more coffee-like.

Hojicha, a Japanese specialty, contains roasted twigs from some of the best tea gardens in Uji. One of the joys of Japanese food stores is the smell of fresh roasted Hojicha. It is reminiscent of coffee, but sweeter, and has very reduced levels of caffeine. Details: The Japanese are a thrifty lot. Hojicha is another creative use of tea by-products. Hojicha was commercialized when mechanical harvesters were used in Japan (there is a labor shortage there). The tea plant was shorn of everything, and the mess was separated later. The best leaves became Sencha, the larger leaves became Yanagi, and the stems Hojicha. Tea terms in Japan have several meanings, and Hojicha can mean several types of tea. For us, it is roasted twigs. Dry Leaves: No leaves at all, just small, light brown wooden stalks. Caffeine is concentrated in the tender leaves and decreases in the tough stems, so there are low levels of caffeine in the brew. Liquor: Unlike other green teas, the liquor is caramel brown. Aroma: Gently reminiscent of roasted coffee, with more sweet caramel coffee notes (at least that is our memory from when we drank coffee). Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Overall it is medium bodied, however much less than coffee. Flavors: The lush green flavor of the freshest steamed spinach, the cooked flavor of lightly toasted walnuts and a very slight note of sulfur. Filling and sustaining.

Harney’s kuki-cha and hoji-cha both strike me as near identical to the Upton’s.

An unusual tisane made solely from organic Camellia sinensis flowers, which are carefully plucked from heirloom tea bushes in full bloom, and then sun-dried. Tests show the flowers to contain similar amounts of catechins and polyphenols as regular leaf tea, but with a significantly lower caffeine content. The flavor is surprisingly full, with notes of honey, caramel and citrus. This is a new lot of this very unique offering.

Visually resembles cut-up dry honeycomb. The use of the flowers is as strange as kukicha’s use of twigs & stems, and I had to try such an uncategorizable. The caffeine-free aspect is also welcome for expanding the minimal ranks of tea products without caffeine. Even more surprising is the flavor: it tastes like osmanthus oolong! I had expected it to taste like nothing at all, or perhaps a white tea. But no, it tastes good. The downside is that it is expensive: eg 200g for $48, compared with the osmanthus oolong’s 250g for $15 (so the tea flowers are 1/4th the g/$).

In the style of Japanese Sencha, this China tea represents an affordable alternative to the more costly Japanese varieties. The pleasing cup is sweet and vegetal with a citrus-like brightness. This offering is an excellent choice for everyday consumption.

Kukicha is made from stalks of Japanese tea plants, a resourceful use of harvested materials that are often discarded in other regions. Kukicha is similar to Hojicha, yet not roasted, and yields a slightly vegetal brew with a light green color. This tea has gained an ardent following in Japan; they enjoy its mellow flavor and low levels of caffeine. It is also used in macrobiotic diets. Details: Being a frugal people, the Japanese let nothing go to waste while making green tea. The tea stalks which might be discarded in other tea regions have been harnessed to make a pleasant tea. Since it is made from the stems and twigs of the tea plant there is less caffeine, amino acids, and antioxidants to give flavor and add benefits to the brew. Dry Leaves: This is a mixture of green stems and yellow twigs from tea plants in Japan. Liquor: This is a very light green. Aroma: Because the green stems are from good tea bushes, there are hints of Sencha with woody undertones. Although the stems are similar to Hojicha, these twigs are not roasted. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: The body of Kukicha can only be described as light. Flavors: Kukicha has a light vegetal flavors from the remaining stems and some woody notes from the twigs.

White

My general take on white tea is that they seem to be rather fragile and I generally prefer stronger flavors from green/oolongs. (Subtle flavors can be good, but for white teas, it seems that their subtlety usually comes across as weak or tasteless.) It’s possible I’ve either not had really good white tea or I’ve ruined the ones I had.

Fairly twiggy (little in the way of leaves proper). Very white - tasted like a weak green with a certain floral overtone. In its favor, it handled re-steeping very well, not becoming bitter even slightly & tasting the same over multiple cups.

The Pai Mu Tan tasted like the Shou Mei or Yin Zhen Bai Hao, but much more so, and so gets more approval from me; probably won’t buy it again, though. (I don’t actually dislike the general white tea flavor, it’s just usually far too weak to be worth drinking.)

A gift from the littler sister. I was amused at the clever title - an allusion to the Japanese folktale Momotarō (literally Peach Tarō or Peach Boy). I didn’t have much hope for this flowering tea, but it improved on my expectations: the bloomed tea ball was a lovely white stalk on a grassy green base, and the peach flavor was respectable and comparable to the other peach tea I have. Flavor-wise, the tea was pretty weak (I was under the impression it was either a green or oolong tea) and overpowered by the peach, but at least it had a flavor and so was better than the previous flowering teas. It improved a little bit by the 10 minute mark, having sweetened a little. The weak tea flavor was explained when I learned it was a white tea; such a flavor is pretty par for the course for whites.

Ya Bao is a special production Yunnan tea made from tender young buds that are hand plucked from ancient tea trees. The liquor has a unique flavor, with floral notes and hints of sweet corn and light honey. The aftertaste has a wonderful, light evergreen note, which lingers on the palate. A 2015 production.

Not your usual white tea, this comes in the strikingly different-looking form of large slightly-moist greenish-white corn/pine-cone-shaped buds. There is a sweet aroma with a mysterious edge to it, which is even stronger when brewed. To my regret, the flavor did not entirely agree with me; it is interesting but not tasty to me. Perhaps it might work for white tea fans?

Small NY retailer of tea. Resealable foil packets, 25g each, no prices or descriptions available online. Received a sampler of 5 teas covering the full range from Pu’erh to white. The teas themselves are average to good quality exemplars of their types, so my ratings are about the same as for other instances.

From Jinggu County in Yunnan province, these exquisite downy white tea buds yield a pale straw-colored infusion, notable for a nutty/toasty aroma with hints of honey. A sweet hay nuance complements the savory cup, which finishes with a gentle spice hint.

I tried one last batch of 6 white teas from Upton’s. With the exception of the Jinggu Spring Buds, which was decent, they all tasted near identical to me and a waste of time. I am giving up on white teas - like the pu’erhs, the entire category just doesn’t work for me.

In this elegant white tea selection, beautiful silver-sage buds yield a rose-gold infusion with a sweet, gentle character. The cup has a fresh herbaceous aroma with a suggestion of honey. Delicate notes of honey and melon as well as orange nuances are notable in the silky smooth liquor.

In this 2016 Pre-Chingming white tea selection from Fujian province, silvery sage-green buds yield a delicate cup with a light honeyed floral aroma. The flavor is sweet and refined with hints of melon and a gentle pine essence. A toasty nuance lingers in the smooth finish.

The bold, olive-green leaves of this Shou Mei white tea are carefully crafted into large pearl shapes. A toasty/woody suggestion may be found in both the aroma and the sweet cup. The champagne-gold infusion is delicate and velvety smooth with notes of fruit, a honeyed sweetness and melon nuances. Each pearl weighs approximately 5 grams, which will yield about 2 cups of tea.

Downy silver tea buds are carefully crafted into large pearl shapes, which produce a pale straw-colored infusion with a delicate, honeyed fragrance. The sweet cup has a clean character, with hints of melon and flowers. Each pearl weighs approximately 5 grams, which will yield about 2 cups of tea.

Large leaves are molded into a segmented rectangular tea cake to create this unique white tea selection. The pale rose-gold liquor has a delicate, toasty aroma with honeyed floral hints. The cup is smooth and very sweet with melon notes, a suggestion of peach, and a crisp, clean finish. Each individual segment weighs 5-6 grams and will yield approximately 2 cups of tea.

Black

I am not a fan of black teas, but I still try them out occasionally:

Ginger Peach Tea, bag-tea by English Tea Shop (★★☆☆☆)

It is a black tea mixed with ginger pieces and peach flavor. To my surprise, it was fairly good. The black tea is a pretty weak black and as far as I can tell, towards the oolong end of the spectrum. The peach flavor is entirely dominant over the ginger, which is as I would prefer, peach being an old favorite of mine. The first steep is good, but it falls off very quickly and needs replacing by the fourth steep or so.

Satori Tea Company’s Amali African Queen (★★★☆☆)

Another gift; this one confused me because it was clearly labeled oolong, but when I tried it out, it tasted very much like a black tea and the leaves were pretty oxidized and produced a black-tea-looking liquor (extremely dark as opposed to amber), and quickly began thinking of Earl Grey. My confusion was resolved when I began to look up the teas and found that the African Queen was in fact a black tea (as opposed to a peculiarly black oolong).

A traditional Indian spiced tea recipe with a warm and robust character. The full flavor notes of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove hold up to milk and honey, the traditional way to take this tea. Christmas gift. Tastes like the description (which is really too much), and does indeed taste better with some milk & honey added.

The dark brown leaf of this selection is accented with golden tip. Rich, earthy notes are present in the aroma and dark amber cup, and hints of white pepper and cassia add a pleasing accent. The smooth finish has a light tangy feel.

A free sampler of a Chinese black tea that Upton’s threw into a 2015 & 2017 order. Less bitter than most blacks, with the mentioned earthiness balanced by sweetness. I would not have paid for this, but I don’t mind drinking it.

Rare China Keemun Mao Feng is scented with peach, and decorated with flower blossoms. Serve this for a truly decadent afternoon tea.

A strong black tea like the Yunnan Fop Select, it lives up to its billing: the peach is strong, almost overwhelming, and it is sweeter than usual. There aren’t many peach-flavored selections, which makes this stand out for me. Better than any of the others like the Momotaro.

China Black tea harmonizes with green Sencha. Blended with sunflower petals, cactus flowers and flavored with rhubarb. A refreshing tea for any time of day.

I was skeptical that a black tea could ever harmonize with something like sencha - the black flavor is bitter and powerful and will pummel any green into indistinguishability. I was right, and it tastes black. The rhubarb and other additives also lend it a chemically taste, so it fails as a black tea in the same way as the apricot tea did.

The confluence of crystal-cool zephyrs and fervid monsoons in Nepal bears a tea whose caramel liqueur courts the palate with honey, cocoa, and a muscatel kiss.

Visiting a random mall, I stopped in at a tea store I didn’t recognize on my way to the Teavana shop. The salesman was knowledgeable and very persuasive, and when I was disappointed at the oolong selection and noted I didn’t really want any of the blacks, told me that he had a black tea which he had discovered, prepared correctly, was a lot like an oolong. The secret was to steep it for a short time, perhaps 30 seconds, and no more. He gave me a mug of it and yes, it did taste much more like an oolong than an unpleasant black! I was impressed enough I let him sell me a bunch of it and I’ve enjoyed it ever since as long as I remember to keep the steep time short.

I remembered a truly delicious blood orange sorbet I had once in SF, so when I happened to spot, on a shelf of otherwise offputting black teas, a blood orange black tea, I thought I’d give it a try though I was unfamiliar with the seller. The black tea is speckled with the blood orange bits and pieces. Flavor-wise, it is a harmonious balance of orange flavor and black tea, although my usual prejudice against black tea means it’s not as enjoyable as it might be. (An oolong version would be great if balanced properly, but unfortunately Eastern Shore Tea Company appears to specialized in flavored black teas, with only one listed oolong and 4-5 greens.) Resteeps like a champ.

This wonderful selection has a dry leaf with subtle, sweet aroma and rich, dark color. The liquor is also dark, with an amber color and medium-bodied intensity. The aroma has a malty hint and biscuity note. The cup has a very forward sweetness, reminiscent of light molasses or dark honey.

On our recent trip to China, we tasted this unusual tea and loved it. Our friends at Hunan Tea have made a black tea from a plant that normally would make oolong tea. It is much more aromatic than most black teas, and the peach flavors are lovely. It also coats your mouth with those luscious peach flavors. When we were naming it, we could not resist calling it Bloolong, i.e. Black Oolong. Details: A black tea made from an oolong varietal tea plant. Dry Leaves: Dark, chunky leaves. Liquor: Brown. Aroma: Boiled peaches, vanilla beans. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium. Flavors: Cooked peaches.

This sun-dried, compressed green tea is made from the fine buds of Yunnan’s heirloom tea trees. The flavor is vegetal, with notes of wild honey and dried fruit. The sweet and complex aftertaste lingers on the palate. Appropriate for multiple infusions.

A green pu-erh would seem to be a contradiction in terms: the point of green tea is that it is processed shortly after harvesting to stop oxidation within days, while pu-erh is both heavily oxidized and further fermented by bacteria & fungus for years. Nevertheless, Upton’s classifies this as a pu-erh so I was intrigued and made an exception to my usual ban. The sample comes as one tiny greenish-yellow cake, which crumbles reasonably easily. It yields something on the boundary between greens and oolongs, which resteeps well but doesn’t leave much of an impression other than tasting rather un-pu-erh-like.

An abundance of silver-green tips adorns the hand processed leaves in this raw (Sheng or Qing) Pu-Erh offering. The golden infusion offers an herbaceous aroma with tropical fruit hints. The mouth feel is full and brisk with a brothy flavor, hinting of sweet tobacco and honey. A light suggestion of stone fruit leads to a crisp, clean finish.

Tisane

Tisanes are any tea which does not incorporate Camellia sinensis - so this category includes herbals like mint tea, barley tea or red tea (rooibos) or honeybush. (I once ordered rooibos & honeybush from Upton’s for my mother; I found them so unmemorable I can’t even review them here.)

Like the Benshan oolong, bought from the SF Rainbow Grocery Cooperative. I was initially going to only buy some genmaicha but then I saw their oolongs, so I went with plain roasted barley instead and combined it. The barley was very… nutty and barley-ish on its own. Not entirely drinkable, I thought, although it added some strength and robustness to the Benshan oolong in small amounts.

Rote Grütze (★☆☆☆☆): disgustingly sweet and fruity (accented with dried blackcurrants, blueberries, strawberries and wild cherries is an understatement). The best I can liken it to is drinking one of those potpourri or stuffed pomegranates old women buy. It initially seemed to re-steep well but I realized it was somehow ineffably becoming more and more offputting with each steep. I can’t see it really motivates me to try any more kinds of rooibos.

Superior Organic (★★☆☆☆): much better than the Rote Grütze, with just the right amount of sweetness.

Honeybush: honeybush vanilla (★★☆☆☆) reminded me a little of rooibos (though different species entirely), but much toned down, sweet like its name suggests, and the vanilla combined nicely. I actually liked it a little. Good for occasional breaks or when I want something hot to drink but caffeine would be a bad idea (eg. past 7 PM).

Despite the differing ingredient list, tastes very similar to the Maracuja. The cranberries add their own kick to the orange-like flavor. I noticed I could eat it straight out of the bag like it were trail-mix.

Grown in the sub-tropical rainforests of Queensland, Australia, Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a relatively new caffeine-free tisane. It is a natural source of citral essential oils, antioxidants which imparts a stout lemony aroma and flavor.

Overwhelmingly sweet and lemon-tasting; lemon, lemon, and more lemon. A little goes a long way. I ultimately found it too much of a muchness, and couldn’t finish it.

Mulberry tea / Kuwa-cha: apparently mulberry tree leaves make a decent sencha-like powdered tea; an acquaintance described it as being like a good green tea. As it happens, I have a longstanding fondness for mulberries. Unfortunately, though mulberry trees are not rare trees (there were several growing wild within blocks of where I grew up), the prices are not as cheap as one would hope; apparently there’s a fad diet cluttering listings & driving up prices. Anyway, out of curiosity I ordered 45g of $12 mulberry tea (★★☆☆☆/★★★☆☆) from Kesennuma (grown in Miyagi Prefecture).

It is a nice slightly-dark green, shredded finely like confetti, and reminds me a bit of how sencha green tea looks; the smell is faint and the best my impoverished scent vocabulary can come up with is a bit musty. Steeped, the water is also a nice green; my first impression of the taste is that it’s slightly sweet. Beyond that… it tastes perhaps like a white or green would if one removed all hint of bitterness and grass ie. there’s not much of a flavor beyond the slight sweetness. The directions suggest preparing with hot water, but the mulberry tea tastes much the same prepared with cold or cool water and the flavor is easier to taste without heat in the way. (You can make iced tea with it, but I don’t advise brewing for more than a week - it seems to gain an offputting aftertaste after that.)

Do I like it? Well, I don’t dislike it but a very inoffensive green tea isn’t something I have a pressing need for. I think it would make a decent summer tea since you could prepare & serve it cold, but I like barley tea and genmai-cha better, so I don’t need a mulberry tea. Still, interesting to try out - who knew mulberry leaves could be used to make an OK tea?

Daesang organic barley tea ($4.13, 100g in 15 packets; available on Amazon as $9.99, 300g) (★★★☆☆); advertising copy from the 30-bag Amazon offering inasmuch as I can’t translate the Korean on the bag itself:

I picked this up while at a Korean grocery store hunting for kimchi; I couldn’t buy too much since I was leaving for a long trip shortly thereafter, and I didn’t want to leave much food behind, so I picked up some other things while browsing the tea section. I was intrigued by the offering of a corn tisane but I chickened out because it was too big and I didn’t want to be stuck with a lot of undrinkable tisanes, so I went instead with a barley, to see if perhaps it improved over the other barley and was something I’d like.

Each teabag is quite considerable since it’s intended for making large batches, and are overkill for a single mug of hot tea (but you can just resteep it several times). As a hot tea, my reaction on the first sip was - sweet! It claims no additives or other ingredients of any kind, and 0g of sugar, but I have to wonder, since it’s really sweet compared to the previous one, offputtingly so. I did not like that.

This fine-cut leaf grade of organic Holy Basil, (aka Tulsi), produces a rich cup with a complex and spicy character. The dominant flavor notes are anise and pepper, with nuances of citrus and cinnamon.

Holy Basil is an Indian herb similar to the more familiar sweet basil (which I grow to put on my tomatoes and in my BLTs). The taste is immediately familiar from sweet basil, but with a more peppermint and peppery, almost licorice-sort of flavor. It’s meh.

Our green whole-leaf grade of Holy Basil (aka Tulsi) is a mix of leaf and tiny dried flowers. The smooth, full-bodied infusion is sweet and spicy. Hints of anise and clove are present in the aroma as well as the flavor.

A coarser and fuzzier blend then the Purple Leaf, the Green Leaf tastes much the same but somewhat sweeter and much less flavorful.

A pleasant beverage that we recommend for its sweet flavor. Made from the inner bark of the lapacho tree, this herbal contains no caffeine.

A coarse cinnamon/tan-yellow bark from Brazil, my sample was lighter in color than the Upton photo & like that of the WP article, which mentions some fun rat research into lapacho’s toxicity. Something about the musty (but admittedly sweet) flavor deeply put me off and I threw it away.

A new lot of our organic, coarse cut spearmint (formerly BH43). Great for blending with green tea or steeping alone as a refreshing, caffeine-free beverage.

An instant favorite of mine. One of my friends swore off all mint products like mint ice-cream or Girl Scouts thin mints or York peppermint patties, arguing that they tasted like toothpaste; I thought this was too bad, and didn’t quite get his argument (wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that toothpaste tastes like mint?). Still, with flavors like mint and cinnamon, there is always a danger of going too far. The spearmint tea does not go too far and is just right, with enough subtlety to the whole flavor to be drinkable on its own. The caffeine-free aspect is also a bonus since it lets me drink it past 7PM when I avoid anything caffeinated. I am more used to peppermint than spearmint, though, so next I tried Upton’s peppermint offering to see how it compares; the difference wasn’t notable.

Caffeine & sugar-free. The cardboard cylinder contains cocoa nibs/shells, and smells like a box of cocoa powder. Steeped at both green and black temperatures, it tastes like it smells: like a watered down weak hot chocolate. Pointless.

Guayusa is a traditional Ecuadorian beverage from the Amazon. Like Mate, it contains elevated levels of caffeine and many antioxidants. It has a mild vegetable flavor. Only recently has it been introduced to the States. Details: At an industry event we met the earnest young people that import this traditional herbal from Ecuador. We liked the taste, so we bought some. The is one the few herbals that contains caffeine. Dry Leaves: Crushed guayusa leaves, small and varying lighter shades of green. Liquor: The liquor of our Guayusa is a greenish-brown. Aroma: Sharp vegetal notes reminiscent of peppers. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated. Body: Medium bodied. Flavors: Assertive vegetal flavors.

Soba - roasted buckwheat - is a traditional Japanese specialty that is prepared as you would an herbal tisane. It is naturally caffeine free, with a delightful toasty flavor and nutty undertones. It was always Brigitte Harney’s favorite on our visits to the former Takashimaya on Fifth Avenue, where we supplied tea for their renowned tea room over many years. We’ve since found a fine source, and are pleased to continue offering it. Details: Takashimaya was the best tea shop in New York for many years. They did a great job with teas from Japan and around the world (which we supplied.) One of Brigitte Harney’s favorite drinks was Soba, so when we found a good source, we bought it. Dry Leaves: Small brown grains. Liquor: The liquor of this herbal is a light yellow. Aroma: This traditional Japanese herbal has a very toasty aroma. Caffeine Level: Caffeine Free. Body: A light body. Flavors: Similar to the aroma, this caffeine-free herbal tastes very toasty, with some nutty undertones.

Much the same as the roasted barley but not as quite overwhelming, and more easily obtained (inasmuch as I do not live in SF). It feels like a breakfast drink, but I would probably favor the kuki-chas over this roasted buckwheat.

From Provence, France comes Tilleul, a light and lively blend of the linden tree’s fragrant flowers and leaves. The naturally caffeine free herbal is prized for its subtle floral quality as well as its mild digestive and sleep benefits. The flowers and tender leaves produce a light, woodsy brew - as beautiful as its taste - in a mingling of forest-like green and yellow that’s all part of the charm. Details: Because Brigitte Harney is French, we are always on the lookout for traditional French beverages. And one does not get more French or more traditional than Tilleul. This is what Proust remembered along with some nice Madeleine cookies, so create some fond memories. Dry Leaves: Large tilleul (linden tree) leaves and flowers. Liquor: A very clean, clear, light green. Aroma: Subtle aromas of flowers and woods. Caffeine Level: Caffeine Free. Body: This tisane is very light in body. Flavors: The flavors are elegant and understated. They are reminiscent of chamomile, but with a woodsy note.

Spiced Plum is an herbal infusion with the delightful essence of cinnamon and plums. Heartier than most herbals, this one has a presence that will surprise you. Details: This is one of our oldest herbal blends. People love the mixture of dark fruity plum flavors contrasted by the spice of cinnamon, and lack of caffeine. Dry Leaves: A mixture of finely cut hibiscus with cinnamon and plum. Liquor: Light red. Aroma: The spicy cinnamon and fruity plum aromas are the most prominent. Caffeine Level: Caffeine Free. Body: A light body. Flavors: Cinnamon spice and the dark fruity flavor of plum are the predominate flavors in this caffeine free herbal.

Bamboo grows in abundance near many tea farms in China. One of the highlights of every trip we make there is enjoying fresh bamboo served with our meals. We are pleased to offer you dried bamboo leaves to prepare as a tisane. The pretty green leaves steep into a light, vegetal and sweet brew. Details: When we were approached about offering Bamboo leaf, we were intrigued. What would a liquor taste like from these bright green leaves? As it turns out, they taste quite nice, so we are happy to offer another of Asia’s best plants. Dry Leaves: Thin green bamboo leaves. Liquor: A clear greenish-yellow, very pale. Aroma: This herbal has a very distinct vegetal aroma, it edges towards asparagus. Caffeine Level: Caffeine Free. Body: A very light body. Flavors: The darker notes of asparagus and other leaf vegetals make nice tasting herbal.

Somewhat meh. The split bamboo leaves have a nice appearance, but the flavor is an undistinguished and somewhat bitter vegetable one like that of the mulberry.

Our Yellow & Blue herbal blend is a floral rapture of taste, color and texture. It combines chamomile, lavender and cornflowers in a tisane that is beautiful to look at, and delicious to drink. Many fans and customers tell us they relax with this caffeine free blend. Details: This herbal blend was a mixture of three flowers envisioned about 15 years ago. Although its original goal was to be a beautiful, nice tasting herbal, we discovered that it had great calming properties. Elyse, John Harney’s daughter, loves how this tisane calms her down after a very busy day at the office. Dry Leaves: A bright mixture of yellow chamomile flowers, brilliant blue lavender, and cornflowers. Liquor: A light greenish-brown, with very slight hints of blue. Aroma: This blend combines the mellow aroma of chamomile with the flowery aroma of lavender. Caffeine Level: Caffeine Free. Body: Light in body. Flavors: A very mellow and smooth herbal, the chamomile and lavender are not overwhelming but are still very prominent.

Retrying yaupon with a different seller (also sourcing from Texas from post-wildfire areas). I think it tastes noticeably better than the Harney yaupon did: more of a unusually sweet green tea taste. I am more impressed with the potential of yaupon to compete with tea. It’s not good enough for me to make a point of ordering it (if anything the boast of being caffeinated is offputting as I continue to look for good decaf teas or tisanes) and it’s fairly expensive, but it is an interesting alternative.

Coarse cut and ideal for infusion in a Chatsford teapot. The liquor has a mildly floral and tart flavor. A caffeine-free beverage.

Rose hips are surprisingly dense, and I had to weigh my sample twice to convince myself it was indeed 2g. Tastes hardly like anything except slightly fruity.

Tea kettles

Besides the teas themselves, kettles are key equipment. An occasional drinker may use a stove-top kettle, which have some advantages:

cheap / free

nearly-indestructible

even simpler to operate

(In the sense that everyone knows how to turn on & turn off a stove burner already, not that electric kettles require a PhD to operate - typically, it’s a single button to push to boil some water.)

somewhat more compact

often picturesque

always ceramic or metal, so no possibility of the water tasting like plastic

But for regular tea-drinkers, stove-top kettles come with serious disadvantages compared to electric kettles, and some of the advantages are negated:

they are much slower to heat compared to electric kettles

Even in the USA, an electric kettle will be faster than stove-top. I haven’t tested it with a timer, but I think the difference between the T-fal and the metal kettle I was was ~2-3x. The delay is irritating

they are energy-inefficient: much of the heat of the stove-top is not transferred into the water but the air, which is a waste of electricity or gas, and during summer will unpleasantly warm the house

picturesque means that they are not always designed with safety or ergonomics in mind; I’ve seen more than a few which bade fair to burn users somewhile

temperature control is difficult without a thermometer, so one must either compromise the simplicity & convenience of a stove-top kettle or risk destroying white/green/oolong teas by overheating the water

it’s often easy to not notice when the water has reached a boil, or to not be present when the kettle does begin to whistle

This results in a waste of time, of water (increasing humidity, incidentally), overheating & de-oxygenating the water, and poses a safety hazard if the kettle boils dry

On the downside, the electric kettles lose most of the stove-top kettle advantages (they cost real money, can break, take up counter space, and the pretty ones are more expensive). But on net, I prefer an expensive electric tea kettle which will heat fast, not dump excess heat into the room, has boil-dry protection, and different heat settings.

I bought my first electric tea kettle on 7 January 2008 from Upton’s. It was their (since-discontinued) AK16 model (Upton Tea Imports® Variable Temp. Electric Kettle), and cost $43.80. Besides my daily tea, I used it for heating water for ramen, speeding up cooking of soups & stews, humidifying rooms, and unclogging drains. It worked well for years until the handle snapped off somewhere in winter 2013 or so. (It was my fault: I had been using it to humidify the room and had placed a book on the handle to keep the kettle boiling past the temperature shut-off.) This wasn’t a fatal problem because it was easy to take a small screwdriver and wiggle the switch inside the base. The kettle finally broke fully on 19 January 2014, having given me ~2203 days of loyal service at 2¢ a day (ignoring the electricity consumption). I would have bought it again except Upton’s no longer sold it or a replacement electric tea kettle; their website noes New kettle sources are being evaluated.

I made do with a stove-top kettle laying around, but eventually the hassle of waiting twice or thrice as long, occasionally burning a green/oolong, and the upcoming hot summer spurred me to buy another. I had an unused Target gift card, so on 15 April 2014, I spent $36.04 to buy an Oster Digital Electric Tea Kettle model BVST-EK5967 from Target; it was the only electric tea kettle they had in stock with temperature control. I liked the digital temperature control (the Upton’s was an analogue knob with tea ranges), and it worked well. My main complaint was that the digital control would forget the previous temperature setting after use, and would reset to 212° so one had to set the temperature every use. By 20 May 2014, after 35 days, it had broken: it would turn on, but the water would never get hot. I thought perhaps it was a loose connection but a great deal of wiggling & experimenting failed to help matters, and I noticed the inside of the base seemed partially melted - so perhaps it couldn’t withstand its own heat? Target’s return policy didn’t seem to allow a return, so I had to give up. Much too late, I checked the Amazon page for the Oster BVST-EK5967 and saw that I was far from alone in having a bad experience with BVST-EK5967s dying unreasonably early. Oh well!

Having learned my lessons about ignoring user reviews, this third time I’m going with one of the top-reviewed electric tea kettles with temperature control on Amazon: the T-fal BF6138US Balanced Living 1-Liter 1750-Watt Electric Mini Kettle ($23.62). Unfortunately for me, my first order arrived broken. Reasoning that since it’s one of the top-reviewed models, it’s more likely that I got a bad item than it’s a rubbish model like the Oster, I decided to return it for a replacement (which Amazon makes reasonably easy: you print out an address and a bar code, slap it on the shipping box, and mail it at your local post office). The second order arrived working, and aside from the garish green-black coloring, seems to do its job well (although I miss the built-in thermometer of the Oster, which made it easier to find optimal temperatures for particular teas).

Appendix

Electric vs stove kettle: fight!

Electric kettles are faster, but I was curious how much faster my electric kettle heated water to high or boiling temperatures than does my stove-top kettle. So I collected some data and compared them directly, trying out a number of statistical methods (principally: nonparametric & parametric tests of difference, linear & beta regression models, and a Bayesian measurement error model). My electric kettle is faster than the stove-top kettle (the difference is both statistically-significant p≪0.01 & the posterior probability of difference is P≈1), and the modeling suggests time to boil is largely predictable from a combination of volume, end-temperature, and kettle type.

Experiment

My electric kettle is a T-fal BF6138US Balanced Living 1-Liter 1750-Watt Electric Mini Kettle, plugged into a normal electrical socket. The stove-top is a generic old metal kettle with a copper-clad bottom (it may have been intended to be a coffee percolator, given the shape, but it works well as a kettle) on a small resistance-heating coil stove burner (why not one of the 2 large coils? because the kettle bottom doesn’t cover the full surface area of the large burners); the stove is some very old small Gaffers-Sattler 4-burner stove/oven (no model name or number I could find in an accessible spot, but I’d guess it’s >30 years old).

I began comparing them on the afternoon of 16 February 2015; the sea-level kitchen was at a warm 77.1° Fahrenheit & 49% relative humidity (as measured by my Kongin temperature/humidity data logger). For measuring water volume, I used an ordinary 1-cup kitchen measuring cup (~235ml). And for measuring water temperature, I used a Taylor 9847N Antimicrobial Instant Read Digital Thermometer (Amazon), which claims to measure in units of .1°F up to 450° and so can handle boiling water; I can’t seem to find accuracy numbers for this particular model, but I did find a listing saying that a similarly-priced model (the Taylor 9877FDA Waterproof Pocket Digital Thermometer) is accurate ±2°, which should be enough.

The relevant quantity of water for me is at least one of my fox tea mugs, which turns out to be almost exactly 2 cups of water ( or ~0.5l marking on electric kettle).

My testing procedure was as follows:

rinse out each kettle with fresh cold water from the tap (43°), fill with some, let sit for a few minutes

I divide the T-Fal temperature control into min/medium-low/medium/max.

start timer software, then turn on kettles as quickly as possible

(I’d guess this was a delay of ~3s; 3s has been subtracted from the times, but there’s still imprecision or measurement error in how fast I looked at the stopwatch or how long it took me to react or whether I jumped the gun.)

place thermometer back into stove-top kettle, and watch the temperature reading until the stove-top’s temperature has reached the electric kettle’s final temperature; record the time

turn off stove heat, dump out hot water, return to step #1

This ensures that both kettles start equal, and the stove-top kettle is run only as long as it takes to reach the same temperature that the electric kettle reached; the intermediate temperature could also be useful for estimating temperature vs time curves.

I ran 12 tests at various combinations of water-volume and temperature setting.

I wound up not testing temperature settings thoroughly because once I began measuring final temperatures, I was dismayed to see that the T-fal temperature control was almost non-existent: 3/4s of the dial equated essentially to boil, and even the minimum heat setting still resulted in temperatures as high as 180°! - which makes the temperature control almost useless, since I think one needs colder water than that to prepare white teas and the more delicate greens… I am not happy with T-fal, but at least now I know what temperatures the dial settings correspond to.

To deal with the poor temperature control, I bought a cheap mechanical cooking thermometer, calibrated it, drilled a narrow hole through the plastic of the T-fal tea kettle, and inserted the probe down into the water area. Now I can see what the current water temperature is as it heats up, and shut it off early or dilute it with fresh water to get it to the target temperature. Perhaps not as convenient as a fully digital electric tea kettle, but it’s much cheaper and probably more reliable/durable; I may do this with future tea kettles as well.

Data

The data from each kettle (time in seconds, temperatures in Fahrenheit):

Analysis

There many ways to analyze this data: are we interested in the mean difference in seconds over all combinations of volume/final-temperature, as a two-sample or paired-sample? In modeling the time it takes? In the ratio or relative speed of electric and stove-top? In correcting for the measurement error (±2° for each temperature measurement, and perhaps also how much water was in each)? We could look at all of them.

Because I controlled water volume and volume and final-temperature, the mean difference should be identical, and it is, 313s. The signs are also appropriate and coefficients sensible: each additional degree is +3.6s, a cup is +111s, and the setting variable drops out as useless (as it should since it should be redundant with the final-temperature measurement) as does the test number (suggesting no major change over time as a result of testing).

We can plot the electric and stove-top data separately as 3D plots with residuals to see if any big issues jump out:

2 3D plots: time to boil vs water volume vs final temperature; split by electric vs stove-top kettle, with residuals/deviations from linear plane/fit

It looks pretty good. But in general towards the edges the points seem systematically high or low, suggesting there might be a bit of nonlinearity, and the fit seems to be worse for the stove-top results, suggesting that’s noisier than electric (this could be due either to slight differences in setting the analogue temperature dial on the stove or perhaps differences in positioning on the burner coil).

Beta regression

Regressing on the relative times / ratios, using the unusual beta regression, might be interesting; if electric was always 1:3, say, then one would expect the ratio to be constant and independent of the covariates, whereas if the ratio increases or decreases based on the covariates then that suggests some bending or flexing of the plane:

But the latent variable step turns out to be a waste of time (eg Temp.final.true =~ Temp.final 1.000), presumably because I don’t have multiple measurements of the same data which might allow an estimate of an underlying factor/latent variable, and so it’s the same as the linear model, more or less.

Bayesian models

What I need is some way of expressing my prior information, like my guess that the temperature numbers are ±2° or the times ±3s… in a Bayesian measurement error model. JAGS comes to mind. (Stan is currently too new and hard to install.)

The point-estimates are similar but pulled towards zero, as expected of noninformative priors. With a Bayesian analysis, we can ask directly, what is the probability that the difference stove-top vs electric (b4) is >0? A plot of the posterior samples shows that no sample is ≤0, so the probability that electric and stove-top differs is ~100%, which is comforting to know.

Measurement-error for Temp.final; we need to define a latent variable (true.Temp.final) which has our usual noninformative prior, but then we define how precise our measurement is (tau.Temp.final) by taking our two-degree estimate, converting it into units of standard deviations of the Temp.final data (2/14.093631), and then converting to the precision unit (exponentiation followed by division):

In this case, ±2° degrees is precise enough, and the Temp.final variable just one of 3 variables used, that it seems to not make a big difference.

Another variable is how much water was in kettle. While I tried to measure cups as evenly as possible and shake out each kettle after rinsing, I couldn’t say it was hugely exact. There could easily have been a 5% difference between the kettles (and the standard deviation of the cups is not that small, it’s 0.653). So we’ll add that as a measurement error too:

While the DIC seems to have improved, the estimates look mostly the same. In this case, it seems that the variables are precise enough (measurement-errors small enough) that adjusting for them doesn’t change the results too much

Water experiment

The kind of water used in tea is claimed to make a difference in the flavor: mineral water being better than tap water or distilled water. However, mineral water is vastly more expensive than tap water. To test the claim, I run a preliminary test of pure water to see if any water differences are detectable at all. compared my tap water, 3 distilled water brands (Great Value, Nestle Pure Life, & Poland Spring), 1 osmosis-purified brand (Aquafina), and 3 non-carbonated mineral water brands (Evian, Voss, & Fiji) in a series of n=67 blinded randomized comparisons of water flavor. The comparisons are modeled using a Bradley-Terry competitive model implemented in Stan; comparisons were chosen using an adaptive Bayesian best-arm sequential trial method designed to locate the best-tasting water in the minimum number of samples by preferentially comparing the best-known arm to potentially superior arms. Blinding & randomization are achieved by using a Lazy Susan to physically randomize two identical (but marked in a hidden spot) cups of water. The final posterior distribution indicates that some differences between waters are likely to exist but are small & imprecisely estimated and of little practical concern.

Tap water reportedly differs a ton in taste between cities/states. This is plausible since tea tastes so much worse when microwaved, which is speculated to be due to the oxygenation, so why not the mineral/chlorine content as well? (People often complain about tap water and buy water filters to improve the flavor, and sometimes run blinded experiments testing water filters vs tap.)

Testing tea itself, rather than plain water, is tricky for a few reasons:

hot tea is harder to taste differences in

the tea flavor will tend to overpower & hide any effects from the water

each batch of tea will be slightly different (even if carefully weighed out, temperature checked with a thermometer, and steeped with a timer)

requires substantial amounts of a single or a few teas to run (since leaves can’t be reused)

and the results will either be redundant with testing plain water (if simple additive effects like bad-tasting water makes all teas taste equally worse) or will add in additional variance to estimate interaction effects which probably do not exist3 or are small but will use up more data (in psychology and related fields, the main effects tend to be much more common than interaction effects, which also require much larger data samples).

So a tea test is logistically more complicated and highly unlikely to deliver any meaningful inferences with feasible sample sizes as compared to a water test. On the other hand, a water test, if it indicated large differences existed, might not be relevant since those differences might still be hidden by tea or turn out to be interactions with tea-specific effects. This suggests a two-step process: first see if there are any differences in plain water; if there aren’t, there is no need to test tea, but if there is, proceed to a tea test.

This question hearkens back to R.A Fisher’s famous lady tasting tea experiment and turns out to provide a bit of a challenge to my usual blinding & methods, motivating a look into Bayesian best-arm identification algorithms.

Waters

Well water & distilled water already on hand, so I need good commercial spring water (half a gallon or less each). I obtained 8 kinds of water:

tap water (I ran the tap for several minutes and then stored 3.78l in an empty distilled water container, and stored at room temperature with the others)

the pH & mineral content of my tap water is unknown; it is well water untreated with chlorine or fluoride, described as very soft

the Great Value/Walmart distilled water doesn’t report any data on the label and there don’t seem to be any datasheets online (the pH of distilled water can apparently vary widely from the nominal value of 7 and cannot be assumed to be 7, but should the mineral contents should all at least be close to 0)

Voss Still reports some numbers on the bottle, but more details are reported in an undated (metadata indicates 2011) report on the Voss website; for ND I reuse the upper bound from Nestle Pure Life

the Evian label reports a total of dissolved solids at 180C: 309ppm (mg/l).

Fiji Water provides a 2014 datasheet which is more detailed than the label; ND as before

Aquafina labels provide no information beyond using reverse osmosis; they provide a 2015 datasheet, which omits pH and several other minerals; various online tests suggest Aquafina samples have pHs of 4-6, so I class it as 5

Poland Spring 2016 datasheet; note that the price may be inflated considerably because I had to order it online instead of buying in person from a normal retailer; like Nestle Pure Life, ranges are reported and ND taken as ceiling

Reporting of the mineral contents of waters is inconsistent & patchy enough that they’re unlikely to be helpful in predicting flavor ratings.

Design

In rating very subtle difference in flavor, the usual method is binary forced-choice comparisons, as they cannot be rated on their own (they just taste like water). So the measured data would be the result of a comparison, better/worse or win/loss. Fisher’s original lady tasting tea experiment used permutation tests, but he was only considering two cases & was testing the null hypothesis, while I have 8 waters where I am reasonably sure the null hypothesis of no difference in taste is indeed false and I am more interested in how large the differences are & which is best, so the various kinds of permutation or chi-squared tests in general do not work. The analogy to sporting competitions suggests that the paradigm here should be the Bradley-Terry model which is much like chess’s Elo rating system in that it models each competitor (water) as having a performance variable (flavor) on a latent scale, where the difference between one competitor’s rating and another translates into the probability it will win a comparison. (For more detailed discussion of the Bradley-Terry model, see references in Resorter.) To account for ties, the logistic distribution is expanded into an ordered logistic distribution with cutpoints to determine whether the outcome falls into 1 of 3 ranges (win/tie/loss).

With 8 waters to be ranked hierarchically using uninformative binary comparisons (which are possibly quite noisy) and sampling being costly (to my patience), it would be nice to have an adaptive experiment design which will be more sample-efficient than the simplest experiment design of simply doing a full factorial with 2 of each possible comparison (there are (82)=28\binom{8}{2} = 28 possible pairs, since order doesn’t matter, so 2 samples each would give n=56). In particular, I am interested less in estimating as accurately as possible all the waters (for which the optimal design minimizing total variance probably would be some sort of full factorial experiment) than I am in finding out which, if any, of the waters tastes best - which is not the multi-armed bandit setting (to which the answer would be Thompson sampling) but the closely connected best-arm identification problem (as well as, confusingly, the dueling multi-armed bandit and preference learning/preference ranking areas; I didn’t find a good overview of them all comparing & contrasting, so I’m unsure what would be the state-of-the-art for my exact problem or whose wheel I am reinventing).

Best-arm identification algorithms are often called racing algorithms because they sample by racing the two best comparisons against each other, focusing their sampling on only the arms likely to be best, and periodically killing the worst ranked arms (in successive reject). So they differ from Thompson sampling in that Thompson sampling, in order to receive as many rewards as possible, will tend to over-focus on the best arm while not sampling the second-best enough. Mellor 2014 introduces a Bayesian best-arm identification algorithm, Ordered-Statistic Thompson Sampling, which selects the arm to sample each round by:

fitting the Bayesian model and returning the posterior distribution of estimates for each arm

taking the mean of each distribution, ranking them, and finding the best arm’s mean5

for the other arms, sampling 1 sample from their posteriors (similar to Thompson sampling); add a bonus constant to tune the aggressiveness and sample more or less heavily from lower-ranked arms

select the action: if any of the arm samples are greater than the best arm mean, sample from that arm, otherwise, sample again from the best arm

repeat indefinitely until the experiment halts (indefinite horizon)

This works because it frequently samples from any arm which threatens to surpass the current best arm in proportion to their chance of success, otherwise it concentrates on making more precise the best arm. The usual best-arm identification algorithms are for the binomial or normal distribution problems, but here we don’t have 21 arms of pairs of waters, because it’s not the pairs we care about but the waters themselves. My suggestion is that to adapt Mellor 2014’s algorithm to the Bradley-Terry competitive setting, one instead samples from each water, set the first water to be the highest mean water and then sample from the posteriors of the other waters and compare the best arm to the highest posterior sample. This is simple to implement, and like the regular best-arm identification algorithm, focuses on alternatives in proportion to their probability of being superior to the current estimated best-arm. (Who knows if this is optimal.)

One alternative to my variant on ordered-statistic Thompson sampling would be to set a fixed number of samples I am willing to take (eg n=30) and define a reward of 1 for picking the true best water and 0 for picking any other water - thereby turning the experiment into a finite-horizon Markov decision process whose decision tree can be solved exactly by dynamic programming/backwards induction, yielding a policy for which waters to compare to maximize the probability of selecting the right one at the end of the experiment. This runs into the curse of dimensionality: with 28 possible comparisons with 2 possible outcomes, each round has 56 possible results, so over 67 samples, there are 5667 possible sequences.

With such subtle differences, subjective expectations become a serious issue and blinding would be good to have, which also requires randomization. My usual methods of blinding & randomization, using containers of pills, do not work with water. It would be possible to do the equivalent by using water bottles shaken in a large container but inconvenient and perhaps messy. A cleaner (literally) way would be to use identical cups, one marked on the bottom to keep track of which is which after rating the waters - but how to randomize them? You can’t juggle or shake or mix up cups of water. It occurred to me that one could use a spinning table - a Lazy Susan - to randomize pairs of cups. And then blinding is trivial.

It would be better to enhance the btstan code to fit a hierarchical model with shrinkage since the different waters will surely be similar, but I wasn’t familiar enough with Stan modeling to do so.

Experiment

To run the experiment, I stored all 8 kinds of water in the same place at room temperature for several weeks. Before running, I refrained from food or drink for 5 hours and brushed/flossed/water-picked my teeth.

For blinding, I took my two identical white Corelle stoneware mugs, and put a tiny piece of red electrical tape on the bottom of one. For randomization, I borrowed a Lazy Susan table.

The experimental procedure was:

empty out both mugs and the measuring cup into a tub sitting nearby

select two kinds of water according to the best-arm Bayesian algorithm (calling fitBT & sampleBestArm on an updated data-frame)

measure a quarter cup of the first kind of water into the marked mug and a quarter cup into the second

place them symmetrically on the Lazy Susan with handles inward and touching

closing my eyes, rotate the Lazy Susan at a moderate speed (to avoid tipping over the mugs) for a count of at least 30

eyes still closed for good measure, grab the mug on left and take 2 sips

grab the mug on the right, take 2 sips

alternate sips as necessary until I decide which one is slightly better tasting

after deciding, look at the bottom of the mug chosen

record the winner of the comparison, and run the Bayesian model and best-arm algorithm again.

Results of n=67 blinded randomized paired taste-testing comparisons of 8 mineral, distilled, and tap waters: final estimated posterior distributions of win probability in a comparison, showing the poor taste of Evian mineral water but likely similar tastes of most of the others.

Animation of mineral water taste-test showing how the posterior distributions evolve over n=7 to n=67, guided by Bayesian best-arm sampling

For the first 7 comparisons, since I didn’t want to insert any informative priors about my expectations, the best-arm choice would be effectively random, so to initialize it, I did a round-robin set of comparisons: put the waters into a quasi-random order ABCD, then compared A/B, B/C, C/D and so on. For the next 4 comparisons, I made a mistake in recording my data since I forgot that 1 coded for the left water winning and 3 for the right water winning, and so I had reversed the rankings and was actually doing a worst-arm algorithm, as it were. After fixing that, the comparisons began focusing on Fiji and Poland Spring, eventually expanding to Aquafina as it improved in the rankings.

Comparing water turns out to be quite difficult. In some cases, a bad taste was quickly distinguishable - I quickly learned that Evian, Great Value distilled, and Nestle Pure Life had distinctly sour or metallic overtones. Despite repeated sampling, I had a hard time ever distinguishing Poland Spring/Fiji/Aquafina/Voss, but I thought they might have been ever so slightly better than my tap water in a way I can’t verbalize except that they felt cooler somehow.

By n=41, Fiji continued to eke out a tiny lead over Poland Spring & Aquafina, but I ran out of it and could no longer run the best-arm algorithm (since it would keep sampling Fiji). I was also running low on the Poland Spring. So at that point I went back to round-robin, this time using the order of posterior means.

With additional data, the wide posterior distributions began to contract around 0. At around n=67, I was bored stiff and not looking forward to sampling Evian/Great Value/Nestle many more times, and looking at the posterior distributions, it increasingly seemed like an exercise in futility. That is, further testing would probably show Evian/Great Value/Nestle as worse than the rest, but be unable to meaningfully distinguish between my tap water and the decent ones, which answered the original question - no, the decent mineral waters & waters are almost indistinguishable under even the most optimal taste-testing conditions, would be less distinguishable when used in hot tea, and there was zero chance they were worth their enormous cost compared to my free tap water & were a scam as I expected. (After all, they are many times more expensive on a unit basis compared even to bottled water; the mineral contents are generally trivial fractions of RDAs at their highest; and they appear to be as equally likely to taste worse or better to the extent they taste different at all.)

I ended the experiment there, dumped the remaining water - except the remaining sealed Poland Spring bottles which are conveniently small, so I kept for use in my car - and recycled the containers.

Looking through my history 2006-2012, I order tea on a roughly annual or semi-annual basis:

2006-10-16 ($19.30)

2007-12-17 ($19.70)

2008-08-01 ($43.80)

2010-02-15 ($34.92)

Thinking back, that 2 year gap between orders #3 and #4 was probably due to a Christmas where I received more than 2 pounds of tea, which took me a very long time to drink.

2010-07-05 ($32)

2011-05-14 ($51)

2011-04-12 ($39)

2012-07-15 ($75)

2013, overall ($88)

2015-06-06 ($90)

2015-07-10 ($75)

2015-09-01 ($111)

2016-02-16 ($61)

2016-05-09 ($86)

2016-08-11 ($120)

2016-11-26 ($156)

2017-06-19 ($147)

2017-07-18 ($98)

I tried broadening my horizons and ordered 9 teas from a number of retailers through Amazon.com (principally Tao of Tea, Pure Herbal, & Summit Tea), and while some of Tao of Tea was good, overall I was not impressed.

An interaction here implies that the effect happens only with the combination of two variables. On a chemical level, what would be going on to make good-tasting mineral water combined with good-tasting tea in distilled water turn into bad-tasting tea?↩

MRL - Minimum Reporting Limit. Where available, MRLs reflect the Method Detection Limits (MDLs) set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the Detection Limits for Purposes of Reporting (DLRs) set by the California Department of Health Services. These values are set by the agencies to reflect the minimum concentration of each substance that can be reliably quantified by applicable testing methods, and are also the minimum reporting thresholds applicable to the Consumer Confidence…ND - Not detected at or above the MRL. –Nestle Pure Life 2015↩

This use of the posterior mean of the best arm distinguishes it from the simplest form of Thompson sampling for pairwise comparisons, which would be to simply Thompson sample each arm and compare the arms with the two highest samples, which is called double Thompson sampling by Wu & Liu 2016. Double Thompson sampling achieves good regret but like regular Thompson sampling for MABs, doesn’t come with any proofs about best-arm identification.↩